Walk on the Wild Side
by Sapphire1
Summary: Visiting from a world where International Rescue doesn't exist, Scott and Virgil are in for some adventures that may change their lives forever. Sequel to 'Fork In The Road'. Yes, I do love reviews.
1. Chapter 1

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

A sequel/missing scene to 'Fork In The Road' – this story is set between the last chapter and the Epilogue of that story.

Some short words from the author:

I've written 'Fork In The Road' and 'A New Road' (shorter story set in the same universe) way back in 2004.

I've always intended to write more in this universe, and had already written half of this story when I sort of lost my drive (I guess my muse got lost somewhere during my vacation in New Zealand). The story sat on my hard drive at home and did nothing for the longest time, except to be looked at once in a long while, only to be placed back unaltered.

Now, finally, I've got back to it.

It's not quite the story I've originally had planned, but that's what happens when you allow your characters too much voice.

Disclaimer: Thunderbirds are not mine - this universe however is (yes, YES, my own universe … cue megalomaniac laughter). And I'm German, so if there are strange usage of words and punctuation, I hope you can forgive me (and thanks here to my ever suffering editor Macx)

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Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

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Scott rushed down the narrow jungle trail with his brother Virgil in tow.

The path led from the back door of the kitchen down to the beach that was on the other side of the island, cutting through the jungle in a more or less straight line. To their left towered the extinct volcano that was at the centre of Tracy Island. The sun was shining directly overhead, though the light was blocked partially by the tall trees and the dense foliage, casting the trail before them in a mottled pattern of light and dark. Even though it was a typical hot day on the island, down here the temperature was relatively cool.

Overhead an airplane passed by, heading for the small airstrip beyond the house. Looking up, Scott caught a short glimpse of the plane, spotting the WASP markings on its side.

"Come on, we have to hurry," Scott urged his younger brother on.

Virgil followed reluctantly, casting a glance back to the house. It was obvious that he would rather be back there, helping his family with the aftermath of the pirates' attack, and as much as Scott agreed with that sentiment, he knew that they couldn't do as Virgil wanted.

The last one and a half days had been anything but dull. It all had begun with an earthquake that had shook up Tracy Island and opened up an underground cave where Scott had fallen into. Little had he known that in the cave was a gateway to another dimension and that he had somehow traded places with the Scott Tracy from another world.

He only found out when he discovered that in this other dimension his mother had died in an avalanche some years ago when rescue workers had been unable to reach her in time. His father there, determined to prevent something like this to happen to others, had created a rescue organisation with the most advanced technological equipment imaginable. Helping him to build this equipment was a brilliant engineer fondly nicknamed Brains. Like in the world he knew, the family had moved to Tracy Island, only there the tropical paradise hid the headquarters of International Rescue. The Scott of this world and his brothers were the brawns in the outfit, each one piloting one of the five main rescue vehicles, the Thunderbirds.

Scott had had to admit that once he had gotten over his shock – and the silly uniforms the brothers were wearing – he had been deeply impressed. Father had given each of his brothers the machine most suited to his inclination, drawing on each and everyone's strength. When Scott saw Thunderbird 1 return from the mission that had interrupted the family's breakfast and watched her land in the opening left by the retractable swimming pool, he couldn't help but wonder how the rocket plane would handle. He would be lying if he didn't admit to himself that he itched to get a chance on her steering yoke.

Naturally, the Tracys from the other world wanted their Scott back, so they sent him and their Virgil through the gateway. Back in his own dimension, Scott was to remain close to the gateway, waiting for Virgil to return with the other Scott.

At least that had been the plan.

While Scott had been in that other world, a band of modern day pirates had attacked the island in his home dimension. While waiting for Virgil and the other Scott to return to the cave, he had heard gunfire. Naturally he hadn't hesitated and had headed back to the house. On his way, he had run into the other Scott and together they had dealt with one of the pirates without a problem. Back at the house, Alan, who also had managed to knock out one of the bad guys, had joined them.

But then there had been more gunshots.

Racing to the living room, they found his Virgil holding a smoking gun, which he had used to shoot the leader of the pirates just as he had fired at the other dimension's Virgil, who had been seriously injured in the shooting.

It was about then that the first WASP ship finally appeared on the horizon, alerted by the emergency call father had sent out just before the pirates had landed.

As the injured Virgil could not be moved, and it would be far too complicated to explain why suddenly there were two Scotts and two Virgils, father had told them to make themselves scarce.

And that was why they were running down the kitchen path.

"Come on," Scott said once again, grabbing Virgil by the arm and pulling him towards the beach. They had to reach the cave with the gateway before the island was overrun by WASP personnel.

Finally, they reached the tree line that separated the beach and the jungle.

Scott stopped, checking out the terrain. He didn't see anybody.

"Looks to be clear."

He pulled Virgil on.

Together they crossed the sand, turning left. After a couple of hundred yards the beach was replaced by a group of large boulders and rocks, an outcropping of the volcano that reached past the beach into the ocean. Halfway across that area a fissure opened up like a fresh cut wound. This was the gap that had opened the other day during the earthquake.

Scott peered inside, but couldn't see anything. The sun's light barely reached inside and the cave swallowed it up like a black hole.

Scott shivered, even though the sun was warming the skin on his back. He felt a sudden trepidation at the thought what was hidden in that cave.

"Are you sure about that?" Virgil asked, his voice doubtful.

Scott pulled himself together. They didn't have a choice. He and Virgil had to disappear for a couple of days at least. The island was simply not large enough for them to find a hiding place where they were safe.

Besides, if he recalled correctly, Virgil had been given a time limit in which he had to return with the other Scott. If they didn't return within three hours the other Alan and the other Gordon would also cross over to this dimension. If this happened, chaos was guaranteed.

And he owed it to the other Tracys to let them know what happened to their Scott and their Virgil

He nodded. "Quite sure."

Together they climbed in. The cave's inside was a cold shock after the heat of the day outside. Goosebumps formed on Scott's arms and neck. Inside, they found that they could see quite well once their eyes had adjusted to the dim light.

Scott turned to the rock wall that hid the gateway. It looked just like any other wall in the cave.

Virgil furrowed his brow. "This is the gateway? It doesn't look like much."

"Yes, I know. Brains had hooked up some gadgets and with their help the wall practically glowed like a Christmas tree. But that was the only way to show that there's something unusual. That is, until you walk through."

Virgil, still looking doubtful, picked up a small rock and made to throw it at the wall. But Scott caught his arm before he could complete his move.

"Don't," he warned his brother. "There are people on the other side. You don't want to hit them, do you?"

Virgil looked sheepishly at the rock in his hand and dropped it.

"Sorry."

Scott grinned. He could understand Virgil's doubt. If he hadn't gone through the gateway himself – twice, if he counted his initial trip, though he couldn't remember it as he had been unconscious at the time – he wouldn't believe either that the wall in front of them was anything but what it seemed to be. A perfectly ordinary rock wall.

"Let's go."

He took Virgil's arm, inhaled deeply then stepped forward to the wall.

And through it.

TBC

4


	2. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 2: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

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After the darkness of the cave, the lights set up in the 'other' cave, were almost blinding. The narrow space was filled with many different machines, the function of most of them a total mystery to Scott.

As the two brothers stepped through the gate, Brains, who had apparently done some adjustments on one of his gadgets, looked up and smiled. He was the only one they could see, which struck Scott as a little bit strange. He would have expected their 'father' or at least one of his brothers from this dimension to be present to welcome them home.

"It is g-g-good to see you, Scott, Virgil," Brains greeted them.

"I'm sorry, Brains, but we are not, ehr, your Scott and Virgil. There had been some development on our side," Scott informed Brains straight away.

Brains face fell. "Is anybody h-h-hurt?"

Scott sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry, but your Virgil got injured. He should be okay, though, it's only a shoulder wound. Your Scott decided to stay and as we didn't want to explain why there are two of each of us, we thought it best to hide out here."

Brains looked from Scott to Virgil and back. "I see," he said, clearly not happy about the situation.

"Where is everybody?" Scott asked now.

"There has b-b-been a, uh, d-d-development here as well. Some p-people tried to attack the island. So the others, ehr, went to stop th-th-them."

Of course. Scott gave himself a mental slap. He already knew that the development in this dimension and the one he had come from ran more or less parallel, with the one exception of his mother's death in this world and the consequences that had developed from this tragedy. How else was it to explain that he and the Scott from this world had happened to be at the same place at the same time just when the earthquake had opened the access to the gateway? So it made only sense that here the very same pirates that had attacked his home, would also come to the island in this dimension.

"How is everybody? Anybody hurt?"

Brains grinned in a way that could only be described as a feral.

"E-e-everybody is fine. These men didn't even make l-l-landfall. We have some very g-g-good, uh, defences here."

"We sure could have used them on our side," Scott said, relieved to hear that there had been no injuries here.

He filled Brains in on the details of the pirates' attack on his Tracy Island and Brains in turns relayed what this Tracy Island had in terms of defences.

Scott was just about to ask about some more details, when suddenly Brains' wristwatch emitted a loud peep. The engineer lifted his arm to his mouth.

"Brains here."

"Brains," came a tinny voice from the watch. "Dad wants to know if Scott and Virgil have returned by now."

Scott couldn't be sure, as the sound was a little distorted, but he thought is might be his brother John. Scott had learned the last time that in this world John spent a lot of time in International Rescue's very own space station, called Thunderbird 5, working in shifts with Alan.

He wondered how his own John would react to an opportunity like this. John loved space and had complained more than once that even though he was an astronomer and astronaut with NASA, he didn't spend as much time as he would have liked in outer space. On the other hand, John liked to be around people, so spending so much time alone in a tin can floating in orbit around Earth didn't seem like his definition of fun.

"Not, uh, really, John" Brains spoke into his wristwatch, which obviously had a few more functions than just showing the time of day. "There also has been a p-p-pirates' attack on the i-i-island in the other dimension and Virgil got injured. Scott stayed with him, so the other Scott and Virgil have returned here to avoid c-c-complications."

There was a moment silence, and Scott caught a glimpse of the watch face where the tiny face of his middle brother furrowed his brows in concern.

"Okay. I'll inform Dad and the others. Dad wants you to stay put anyway for now. Some troops from WASP have showed up and Dad had called operation cover-up into motion until he can get rid of them. He says that he probably can keep them out of your hair, but to keep a sharp eye out for them just in case."

"FAB, John."

John cut the connection and Brains' watch returned to look like any normal watch.

They made themselves comfortable. Brains went back to fiddling with his machines, while Scott and Virgil sat on some handy boulders close to the entrance of the cave.

Virgil leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. The fingertips of his hands were pressed together, only the index fingers beating a mindless rhythm against each other.

Only now Scott registered how quiet Virgil had been since they had left the house. There had been barely a word from the normally so open brother. Scott would have expected him to ask thousands of questions of Brains, wanting to know everything about how the gateway was working, how Brains had found out about it, and what all those machines in the cave where doing.

It wasn't that Scott a sloth in the brain department. He had a degree in engineering from Princeton and there wasn't a part on any plane in the world he couldn't take apart and put back together making it work better than before. But his true love was -- and always would be -- flying, the faster, the better.

Virgil, on the other hand, was the builder in the family. He had a Master of Science from MIT and had had several offers to stay there and work on a doctorate. But he had declined and instead had chosen to join Tracy Industries in the capacity of a designer. Even though Dad had been thrilled when Virgil had decided to work for the family business, he hadn't played any favours and Virgil had had to work his way up to his current position of head engineer and designer for the aviation section. The fact that he had excellent instincts for what worked and what wouldn't, combined with a nose for what simply looked good, had already led to three hugely commercially successful planes off the lines of Tracy Industry. The latest one, the TI 2070, looked to be just as successful once it would hit the market. Scott had flown the bird in the test phase and he absolutely loved it.

For Virgil to be so silent around so many interesting machines, something had to be wrong.

"What's up, little bro'?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine, Scott," came the subdued reply from Virgil.

Uhoh, the famous 'I'm fine' quote. Whenever somebody in the family said those words, Scott's internal alarm bells went off ringing loudly. Because in ninety-nine percent of all cases the person uttering those words was anything but fine.

He cast a worried glance at his younger brother, studying him for any signs what the cause of Virgil's problem might be.

For one frightening moment he thought that Virgil might have been injured as well during the pirates' attack and not mentioned it for whatever reason, but then he dismissed the thought. There had been no indication for that. His brother had moved just fine on their way here and there had been no blood that Scott could see.

It had to be something else.

"Where did you go after Father sent everybody off?" Scott asked, hoping he could get his brother to talk.

"Roundhouse," was the almost monosyllable reply.

"And?" Scott probed further.

Virgil sighed. "I've met one of the pirates there, hit him with a baseball bat, took his gun and went back to the living room. That's all, the rest you know. Just let it rest, Scott. Please."

Virgil looked with dull eyes at his brother. Scott's instinct told him that this wasn't all, that there was something Virgil didn't tell him. But he also knew that questioning Virgil further right now, would by an exercise in futility.

That didn't mean he was about to leave it alone for long. He filed away his concerns with the full intention to bring them up at the first opportunity that presented itself.

To distract himself, he started to ask Brains questions about the equipment he had. He was most interested in the wrist communicator the engineer was wearing. He had seen prototypes of small communicators like Brains was wearing, but none that had integrated a high-resolution vid-screen and nothing as small as a watch.

The engineer was only too happy to comply and, after a short while, Scott even managed to draw Virgil into the discussion.

They soon moved on to the other accessories that International Rescue utilized in their rescues. Virgil finally managed to throw off the dark mood he had been in and began to ask questions of his own. The whole logistic side of a secret organization that was bent on saving people's lives seemed to fascinate him.

Scott was mostly impressed by all the efforts the Tracys of this dimension had put into staying hidden. He could see the reason why they did it, even though it made their job much more difficult. Virgil, naturally, loved the technical side of the whole thing.

The kernel of an idea started to form in Scott's mind. What if they, in their own dimension, started their own International Rescue?

They already had the island. Scott knew about all the caves hidden beneath the bedrock. The family had never found any real use for them, except to install a few larger machines, like the desalination plant that made living on the island possible.

After they had moved to the island twelve years ago, Scott and his brothers had spent quite some time exploring those caves. He hadn't been in them for years, but there was no reason why they couldn't be used in case they started their own outfit. There was room enough.

Financing wasn't a problem either. Father had plenty of money. Scott recalled more than one remark from his father where the older Tracy had complained that he would like to do something useful with the money, something to help people directly. Of course, he already financed multiple charities, but too much of that money disappeared in the pockets of greedy officials who claimed a lion's share of the money that was to help the suffering. With International Rescue, Dad would know exactly where the money went. Not a cent would be wasted.

Finally, Scott had to admit, he thought he would like to do it. His career with the Air Force, though well on track, had forced him to spend more and more time behind a desk and less and less time behind the steering yoke of an airplane. The last two years he had been forced to watch how other men got to fly the planes he burned to take up. The reason given to him was that his immense experience was needed to train those other men, and though he understood that reason, he still felt a pang every time he saw a fighter jet soar into the sky above and he had to stay behind on Terra Firma. He was a hands-on guy and flying a desk wasn't something he thrived on. Thunderbird 1, on the other hand … there was a bird he would love to ride.

But what about his brothers? Was it fair to pull them into this whole mad idea?

He knew, without a doubt, that Gordon and Alan would be game. They both were adrenaline junkies, as various near death experiences had proven. Four years ago, Gordon had almost died when the hydrofoil he had driven in a race had capsized at over two hundred miles per hour. And Alan had a good half dozen major car accidents to his credit, all during one race or another. At one point, Father had simply had enough and had tried to pull Alan out of the racing circus, something that had led to a spectacular row between his father and his youngest brother. It was only thanks to his mother's intervention that the two had found a compromise they both could live with.

That left Virgil and John.

With John, Scott gave himself a fifty-fifty chance that he would go along. His middle brother certainly would be drawn by the whole 'saving-lives-and-doing-the-right-thing' aspect of the plan. John had an urge to help others that was to be believed. Of course, it had gotten him into quite a bit of trouble a few times, but that hadn't doused his willingness to help others.

Virgil would probably be the toughest nut to crack. The chestnut-haired Tracy loved his job like there was no tomorrow. And he was damn good at it. If there was one to take over Tracy Industries once Dad was gone – may that day be a hundred years in the future – it would most likely be Virgil. Though if he wanted to was a whole different question. The managing part and the whole politics that went with running a company the size of TI was not really his forte. John was much better at it and, Scott admitted to himself, he wasn't too bad in that direction either.

Well, it was just an idea right now. There was no need to start searching for problems at the moment, for something that very likely would never happen.

TBC

5


	3. Meet the Tracys

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 3: Meet the Tracys

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They had been in the cave for over an hour, when Brains' watch/communicator finally went off again.

"Brains here."

"Brains, here's Jeff. The last of the WASP people have just left the island. Please come back to the house and bring our guests along."

"FAB, Mr. Tracy. W-w-we will be at the house in ten m-m-minutes."

He turned to Scott and Virgil and made an inviting gesture towards the cave's exit. They waited until Brains had switched off some of his equipment and then helped him to climb out as well.

It was late afternoon and the volcano was now between them and the sun, which had begun to set. The temperatures outside had gone down a bit, but after the cold cave the outside was still pretty warm.

Together they started on the familiar path back to the house, Brains leading the way, while Scott followed. Virgil looked around, without doubt looking for any differences this island had from the one in his home dimension. His face had grown dark again, his whole posture so unlike the energetic man Scott knew so well.

Damnit, what was wrong with Virgil?

This wasn't the time to ask him about it, though. Besides, Scott doubted that right now he would get any more information out of Virgil than before.

As they reached the living room, Jeff, Gordon and Alan already had assembled. Kyrano stood to one side against the wall, resembling almost one of those Asian statures that could be found in Malaysian temples.

Scott's eyes were drawn to the place where the other Virgil had been shot, but there was naturally no trace of the blood that had been spilled in the other dimension. Virgil hesitated after stepping into the living room, his eyes on the same place Scott had been looking. But then he visibly pulled himself together and stepped ahead.

"Sir, Gordon, Alan," Scott greeted the three man. He nodded at Kyrano.

Their father made an inviting gesture towards one of the sofas and they settled down. Brains found a seat next to Alan. Jeff flipped a switch on his desk, and John's portrait on the wall turned into a video screen.

"Scott, would you please be so kind and tell us what the situation is. How badly is Virgil wounded? And why did you two come back here?"

Even though Jeff's voice had been kind enough, it was clear that he felt somewhat anxious. As Scott knew how his father would have reacted if the roles had been reversed, he wasn't surprised.

He took a deep breath and started to explain everything that had happened on his Tracy Island since he had come back to his own dimension.

"… We then heard gunshots coming from the living room. When we arrived there, we saw that your Virgil had been shot in the shoulder. Scott went to give First Aid and I went to my father to cut his bonds and explain everything to him. I have to say, he took it surprisingly well, but with two of each of us there, I don't think there was much room for doubt.

"Scott managed to stop Virgil's bleeding and he led him to the couch. He looked pretty well, all things considered, alert and conscious."

Scott toned down the extent of Virgil's injuries a little bit. He didn't think it was necessary to tell Virgil's father that his son had passed out twice and that his counterpart had been forced to give him mouth-to-mouth. It was something a father didn't need to hear.

"Anyway, about that time WASP finally showed up. As we didn't want to explain why there are two Scotts and two Virgils, Father told us to come back here. Scott wanted to stay with Virgil, naturally. He will be well taken care of, you don't need to worry, sir."

One look at Jeff's' face told Scott that he would worry anyway. His son was seriously injured and he couldn't be there to help him. Scott's own father would be in agony, and he suspected that his 'father' in this dimension wouldn't be any different.

Jeff inhaled deeply, visibly gathering himself.

"Thank you very much, Scott," he said, "there isn't much we can do right now but wait. How long do you think will it take until we can have our people back?"

Scott did a quick mental calculation.

"Virgil is going to need surgery. They will keep him at least over night in the hospital on the mainland. That means he could be back by tomorrow or the day after that."

Jeff sighed.

"I think you are right. Well, that means that you will be our guests until then. By tomorrow, we will again try to establish contact with your dimension. But I will not send anybody across, until we have a clearer picture of the situation there."

Scott found his brother standing on the balcony, looking out at the sunset. Without a word, he leaned on the railing next to Virgil.

They had been given the rooms of their counterparts in this world and Scott had been only too happy to take a long, hot shower. A short foray into the kitchen had revealed that dinner would be ready in about half an hour. So he had decided to use the time to try to find out what the heck was wrong with Virgil.

From the looks of it, Virgil had also had a shower. His hair was still wet, and even though he obviously had put a comb to it at one point, it now stood in every which way. This was very atypical of his usual so fastidious brother.

As Scott looked at his side, he saw Virgil racking his hand nervously through his hair, explaining the newest fashion his younger brother was suddenly sporting.

"They seem to be nice enough," he said conversionally.

"Hmhm," Virgil replied barely audibly. Scott couldn't say if it was an answer to his question or simply an acknowledgment of him having said something.

"Alan seems to look older in a way, more responsible somehow," he went on.

"Hmhm."

"Gordon could use a haircut, though."

"Hmhm."

Scott looked again at Virgil. His younger brother's gaze seemed to be a million miles away. Damnit, what was going through his head?

"Dad looks good in a hula-skirt."

"Hm… What?"

Virgil finally tore his eyes away from the setting sun and looked at his older brother, a surprised expression on his face.

"What did you just say?"

Scott grinned.

"I was wondering if you've been listening to a word I've been saying just now."

"Sorry, I've been a little distracted."

He pushed himself off the railing he'd been leaning on, standing up straighter.

"I've noticed," Scott said still smiling. He placed a hand on Virgil's arm. "Honestly, what's wrong with you? You seem to be … I don't know … withdrawn all of a sudden. Is it this parallel universe stuff?"

Virgil shook his head.

"No, I'm fine with that. Fascinating, really. I've read about the possibility of multiple universes in a science magazine a while back, but that was all theory. To find a gateway into another universe practically in our backyard is quite a thing."

"If you're so fascinated why aren't you with Brains and theorize your head off? He's one smart guy and can most likely answer any question you might have."

Virgil sighed quietly.

"I'm just not in the mood, that's all."

"Virgil," Scott said, tightening his grip on Virgil's arm. "Something is wrong with you. I'm your older brother and I can tell that you've got a problem. Let me help you. Please."

There was a moment of silence, only interrupted by the evening sounds of the jungle surrounding the house.

Virgil inhaled deeply then let out the air in one long, shuddering breath.

"I've never killed a man before," he said, his voice barely audible.

For a moment Scott didn't know what to say. Then he gave himself a mental slap. Of course, he should have thought of that right away.

Virgil had been forced to shoot the pirate's leader in order to save the other Virgil's life. He had seen how his brother's hand had shaken when he had placed he gun he had used on the table. He should have seen immediately that Virgil had been in shock. But he hadn't.

Scott had been with the military for over ten years now. Though most of his training had been focused on aerial combat, he had also been trained in hand to hand and had had some other weapon training. He had been involved in several conflicts, and even though he hadn't killed anybody yet -- at least he didn't think so -- there always had been the possibility that he would need to. It was something anybody in the military had been trained to cope with somehow.

But Virgil wasn't military. Scott should have realized that he would take the taking of a life hard.

"You've had no choice," Scott told his brother, knowing that those words wouldn't make any difference.

Virgil sighed again.

"I know. How often do you think I've told that to myself? It doesn't change a thing, though."

"I'm sorry, Virg. I wish there was something I could say to make it better. I know you did the right thing."

"I know that, too. Still … I'm sorry. I shouldn't take it so hard."

Now it was Scott's turn to sigh.

"Virgil, you wouldn't be the brother I know, if you would take something like that lightly. Taking a life … it's hard. I know. It just will take some time. That's all. It will get better. I promise."

Virgil's mouth curled into the approximation of a smile. He turned to his brother, really looking at him for the first time since Scott had joined him on the balcony.

"Thanks, Scott. I'm glad you are here with me."

"No problem. I'll be here when you need somebody to talk to. Just … don't hide in a shell. Talking helps. And I'm a good listener."

Virgil turned back to look at the setting sun, but his posture seemed more relaxed now, the tension not as prominent as before.

Scott settled down next to his brother, watching the sunset together with him.

It was there where Alan found them half an hour later and called them for dinner.

TBC

5


	4. SightSeeing, International Rescue Style

Taptap ... is anybody out there reading this? Just would like to know.

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 4: Sight-Seeing, International Rescue Style

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After dinner, Alan and Gordon offered them the grand tour of the island and Scott happily agreed, dragging Virgil along. He didn't want Virgil to be alone right now and he hoped that the tour would distract him.

In the short time he had been here the last time and had been aware that he had in fact stepped into another dimension, there had been no time to really look around. He had seen only one of the labs at the side of a huge hangar, when Brains had discovered that his Wiebrecht Resonance Constant, or however the scientific term of the thing was, indicated that he belonged to another dimension. But the hangar had been mostly empty, Thunderbird 2, the transport plane International Rescue used to get their equipment to any place in the world, had been out on a mission at that time.

Scott also burned to take a closer look at Thunderbird 1. He had seen her only for a few seconds when she had taken off for the rescue and then another couple of moments when she had returned. He had memories of a sleek silver rocket plane that fairly emanated speed and power.

His wish was granted when the tour started in Thunderbird 1's hangar. While Alan recited the technical specs on the rocket plane, Scott was captured again by the sheer beauty of her. His fingers itched at the thought of flying her. If he noticed the knowing grin on Virgil's face, he choose to ignore it. Of course, he was well aware that there was actually no chance of ever being in the pilot seat of International Rescue's flagship while the bird was in the air. But a man could have dreams, couldn't he?

He was a little disappointed when they moved on after only a few minutes. He had hoped he would get a chance the see the cockpit.

However, when they got into the next hanger, every thought of Thunderbird 1 was momentarily driven from his mind. In a space that barely seemed large enough to contain it, a huge, red rocket filled the room floor to ceiling.

For a while he just could stand there, his mouth hanging open, while Alan looked on, a little smile on his face.

"Wow!" Virgil finally said.

Scott agreed.

"She's … big," Scott remarked, not exactly very clever.

"How the heck did you get something like that built here? This is incredible."

"It wasn't easy," Alan answered Virgil's questions, pride evident in his voice. "We have about eighty different suppliers, everyone for a different part of the rocket. Everything is shipped to various Tracy Industries sub-siderites then sent here and we assemble her on side. The toughest bits are the engines – it's not like you can buy something like that in a supermarket."

He pointed to a room adjoining the hangar. Scott could see through the open doors a rocket engine in a later stage of assembly.

"We need to replace one of the engines later this month. Thunderbird 3 got damaged on a rescue a couple of weeks back, and at the moment we have only eighty percent power on the number 2 thrusters."

Turning back to the rocket, Scott saw deep scratches and burn marks on one side of the huge space ship. He wondered how those had happened.

On some level, Scott had been aware that being part of International Rescue wasn't exactly risk free. But seeing the damage to the great space rocket, he suddenly realized that every time when his counterpart in this dimension or one of his brothers went out on a rescue, they risked life and limb to help people who didn't even know who they were. Even their incredible machines couldn't protect them all the time. If something could happen to Thunderbird 3, which had to be the most powerful piece of machinery that he'd ever seen, what else could happen?

And still, Alan and Gordon and Scott and Virgil and probably even John went out every time there was a call with a smile on their faces and no regard to what could happen to them.

"How did that happen?" he asked, though he suddenly wasn't so sure he wanted to know the answer.

Alan took a look at the ugly wounds on what he obviously regarded as 'his' Thunderbird and grimaced.

"Some people just don't know when we try to help them," he said with a shrug. "We were just lucky that the automated defence system of that lunar station was such a bad shot. They apologized later, but by then the paint job was already ruined."

Even though Alan tried to make light of the situation, it was obvious that whatever had happened, it had been a close call.

For a moment nobody said a word while they all looked at Thunderbird 3. Scott reflected that his 'little' brother here wasn't that little anymore.

"Okay, let's move on. Gordon wants to show off his baby," Alan broke the reverie.

He ushered them up to the monorail system a couple of flights up and they entered a car waiting for them. It was a sign on how impressed Scott had been by Thunderbird 3 that he barely spared a thought on the fact that they had a real monorail running through all the caves.

Gordon had skipped Thunderbird 3's hangar. They found him again in the hangar of the next machine, Thunderbird 2, waving at them from the opening of a green coloured container.

However, the two visitors barely noticed him as their eyes were drawn to the immense transport plane that pretty much dominated the room.

"A big, green, flying hippo," Virgil muttered under his breath.

Scott looked across to his younger brother. An incredulous look was on Virgil's face, combined with a small smile.

"What?"

Virgil gave a short laugh. "You, well, actually the other you, he told me at one point about International Rescue, and he said that I was flying a big, green, flying hippo. One that is pregnant."

He paused, studying the great machine closer.

"He's not totally wrong," he then added grinning at his brother.

Scott had to agree. He had no idea how something so cumbersome looking was able to get into the air, especially when loaded with one of those containers. And still, there was some sense of elegance even in the bulky lines of Thunderbird 2, some feeling of hidden power and strength. The colour however …

They went down a flight of metal stairs. Even though the transport plane wasn't as big as the space rocket in the other hangar, she was still pretty damn huge. The door to the container pod, which obviously was made to fit into the empty space in Thunderbird 2's belly, was more than fifteen feet high. Inside something yellow flashed.

"May I introduce you to Thunderbird 4," Gordon welcomed them, gesturing at the small yellow submarine.

Compared to all the other Thunderbirds, Thunderbird 4 was deceptively small. But from everything that Scott had seen today, he had the very strong feeling, that that little submarine was more than adequate for any task laid out for her.

"How deep does she go?" he asked, sensing that Gordon expected some kind of remark or question.

Instantly, the ginger-haired Tracy begun proudly to iterate the multiple features his Thunderbird possessed, while showing the two brothers the interior of the craft.

Even though Scott was impressed with the data and the ship, only half of his attention was on Gordon and what he was saying.

The other half had begun to think about the sheer logistics required to run a venture like International Rescue. It was obvious that it had taken years and years to build up the organisation, an immense amount of money and a dedication from each of the Tracys in this world that bordered on obsession. How they had been able to hide this from the rest of the world was a question that he dearly would like to have an answer to.

He decided he would need to have a talk with Jeff. There had to be more to International Rescue then what he was seeing here on the island.

TBC


	5. Milk With Honey Does It Every Time

AN: Hmmm, it does look like I'm talking to myself. Serious sign of mental instability, this. Or everybody is off on holidays already. Anyway, I'going to post on. There are going to be 15 parts, by the way. And after this part here, there will be some more action. 

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 5: Milk With Honey Does It Every Time

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It had been a long day and it wasn't too long after the tour that Scott and Virgil excused themselves and went to their rooms.

Even though there were a few minor differences in decoration and the books that lined the shelves, the room here and the room he used on the other side of the dimensional portal were surprisingly similar. Similar enough that when Scott had woken up in this room two days ago, he had had no idea that this in fact wasn't his. Of course, who would ever think that he had moved from one dimension to another? It was a pretty wild idea.

He slipped out of his day clothing and lay down on the bed, dressed only in his boxer short. Folding his arms behind his head, he wondered what the other Scott and the other Virgil were doing right now. He hoped that they were all right.

The day's events went through his head. The discovery of finding himself in a world not his own. The amazement at the things that had been done here. The wild ride that was the return to his own world and the fight with the pirates. The instant bond he had felt at meeting the other Scott. Then their mad rush back to the cave and the return to this world. Virgil's pain on his taking of a life. And this sudden longing to do something like their counterparts had achieved here.

He had been tired when he had lain down, but now he couldn't sleep. He stared at the ceiling, watching the patterns created by the light of the full moon reflected from the surfaces in the room. Nocturnal bird could be heard in the distance and once in a while there was the noise of a small animal passing through the jungle.

All familiar noises, noises he knew from his home.

After an hour of not being able to fall asleep, he decided he had enough. He rose and pulled on his dressing gown. Silently he opened his door and went out into the hallway.

For a moment at a loss where to go next, he hesitated. Then he decided that if he wanted any sleep tonight, a glass of milk would go a long way to soothe his nerves, so he headed towards the kitchen. He didn't bother with turning on the light – the full moon that fell through the windows was enough to navigate by.

In the kitchen, he got some milk from the fridge. He poured himself a mug, added two spoonfuls of honey and popped it into the microwave to heat. At the 'ding' he took it out and nearly dropped it, when a voice behind him said: "Scott, could I have one, too?"

Exhaling explosively, he turned and stared at his younger brother. "Jeez, Virgil, do you want to give me a heart attack?"

Virgil had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, bro, didn't want to scare you."

"Who said I was scared?"

A small smile played around Virgil's lips, but wisely he didn't make any reply. Instead he asked. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Hmhm," Scott said, while he started to fill a second mug with milk. "It's strange how everything here is so like our home, but then not so."

Virgil nodded. "Downright spooky, if you ask me. That other Virgil, he even has the same clothing I do. Even that awful blue patterned shirt I bought on a bet from Alan."

"The one with the naked girls all over it?"

"The very same. And the stain I've got on it when Gordon spilled coffee over it is there as well."

"Spooky," Scott said.

The grin that had been on Virgil's face vanished suddenly and the auburn-haired young man looked seriously at his brother.

"You think about starting something like they have here in our world, don't ya?"

Scott looked up surprised. "Have I've been that obvious?"

"Only to somebody with eyes and ears. It's clear that you think that whole outfit is pretty cool. You should have seen your face when Alan showed you Thunderbird 1. You were practically drooling."

Scott handed Virgil the now warm milk and honey. He hesitated for a second, then asked softly: "And what do you think?"

Virgil accepted the mug from his brother and took a sip. Scott didn't know if Virgil's delaying tactic was a good or a bad sign.

"I don't know, to be honest," Virgil finally said. "It is a cool outfit and they do a lot of good here. But you should think of what something like this would cost us."

"Cost … hey, dad has money to burn."

Virgil held up his hand. "No, I don't mean money. That's not the problem. I mean, if we do this at home, then, well, what about our friends? What about the life we're used to living? We'll have to spend most of our time here, on the island. We'll need to give up the jobs we have and the people we like. We'll need to be very careful when we meet somebody new. We'll have to look over our shoulders all the time and be careful what we say to anybody.

"Here the world thinks that the Tracys are rich and spoiled and hold themselves above mere mortals. And all that just to keep the Big Secret."

Scott furrowed his brows. He hadn't really thought about that aspect of the operation. For him, giving up his career at the Army wouldn't be too hard. He had had the feeling for some time that he was at a dead end, for when he advanced in the ranks, he would get further and further away from the one thing he loved most in the world – flying.

And for friends – so far he hadn't met the girl of his dreams, the one he would happily settle down with and raise a whole bunch of kids with. Oh, there had been girl friends aplenty, and he had had a lot of fun. He doubted very much that the Tracys on this world were monks.

And his other friends – to be honest, most of them were mere acquaintances. He had always been closest to his family and his best friend in the world was here right with him.

But he also had to think of the others. Virgil had a job he loved, so did John. Gordon had WASP and Alan, well, he had, besides his job at Tracy Industries, the racing circuit and everything that went with it. They all had friends and colleagues they liked to spend time with. John and Alan both led fairly public lives, too. Alan even had a fan club, for crying out load.

But, and that was something he had never thought about before, none of them had ever gone and brought a girl home to introduce her as the next Mrs. Tracy. They all were not too bad looking, they were rich, they were smart and they were old enough (well, maybe not Alan, but he didn't really count). Girlfriends, yes, fiancés, no.

Why had none of them ever thought to start a family of their own?

It was, Scott mused, as he sipped his milk, as if they all had been waiting for something, as if they had known that there was something out there, something they all knew they had to do and that in this vague something, there might be no place for wives and children.

"Maybe," he thought aloud, "maybe, they think that what they are doing here, that International Rescue is worth it. Is worth everything."

Virgil also took a sip, thought for a moment, then added another spoon of honey to the mug.

"Have you thought about that maybe they do it to compensate for the loss of Mom," he said stirring his milk slowly. "I mean their mother here. Image how you would feel if Mom would die the way she did here, with all of us still so young. Maybe there's some kind of guilt complex that runs through the family here and what they are doing is an attempt to atone for it."

Scott looked up, opened his mouth to say something and closed it again. He thought for a moment then shook his head.

"No, not really. I mean, this may be part of it, may be part of why they started this thing. But not any longer, at least not for the most part. Look at Alan and Gordon here. They are both happy doing what they do. They are good at it and what they do it important. From what I've caught from the other Scott he's the same way. And the other Virgil, well, he went out of his way to save Dad without a second thought and risked his life doing it.

"International Rescue is a good thing, Virg. They do it because it's needed and because they're uniquely positioned to do it. And so are we. We could do it – and the more I think about it, the more I think we should do it."

Virgil furrowed his brow, but didn't say anything. Scott could feel that his brother wasn't quite sold yet, but that he was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Scott suddenly had to stifle a yawn, and Virgil followed suit. Scott stretched and shifted his chin towards their bedrooms.

"Well, it's time to turn in," he said.

Virgil nodded. They got up, placed their mugs in the dishwasher and headed back towards their bedrooms.

"Good night, Virg."

"Night, Scott."

Scott watched as Virgil went into his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Then he also went into his room.

Hopefully, he would be able to sleep now.

TBC

(Next chapter: Thunderbirds are Go, Going, Gone ...) 


	6. Thunderbirds Are Go, Going, Gone

Huhu, I can see you!

Well, action starts here. And bad guys also show up. Can anything good come from this?

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 6: Thunderbirds Are Go, Going, Gone

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The Northern California Wind Farm had been built at the turn of the century, when rising energy costs of fossil fuel had lead to a growing interest in development of alternate energy sources. In the first building phase fifteen wind turbines had been erected, with another fifteen added a few years later. For many years the wind farm had converted the steady wind that blew up the Coastal Ridge into clean and safe electricity.

Though the technology normally required little maintenance, the age of the power plant needed a tight schedule of controls and inspections. Every Tuesday morning a crew of two would climb up the spiral staircase inside the tall towers of one of the wind turbines, switch off the turbine itself and perform the routine checks. After they had finished their checks, they oiled and greased the machinery where required, and switched the turbine back on. They then controlled wind speed and power output and when everything was to their satisfaction, they would sign off the turbine for another month and would move on to the next wind generator in the row.

But this morning something was different. While the two workmen arrived from their drive from Eureka, the closest town some fifty miles away, they were watched from the top of a small ridge close by.

Not aware of any danger, they parked their car and walked to the tower of turbine #6, their first goal of the day. They unlocked the door and entered the tower to climb up the spiral staircase to the top of the tower over two hundred and fifty feet above the ground.

The tall, bald man, with oriental features who had been watching them, lowered the spyglass he had held against his eyes. A cold smile played around his lips.

He had worked out his plan for a long time. For weeks the wind farm had been a focus of his activities. He had watched and noted the schedule of the workers, he had found out everything about the surroundings and he had found out every weak point he could exploit.

The location was perfect. Remote, a good hour's drive from the closest large settlement. If somebody needed help out here, there was nobody to come to the rescue quickly.

Well, almost nobody. The man knew exactly that there was one organisation that would not hesitate to come to help in case of an emergency. In fact, he counted on it.

All he had to do was to provide for such an emergency.

He waited patiently for the two men to reach the top of the tower. After ten minutes, the huge blades that had captured the wind, slowed down, then stopped altogether. The maintenance workers had started their job.

It was time.

He pushed the button on a small device he was holding. Over the last two days he had installed several explosive charges underneath the ridge the wind farm was standing on.

One explosion, then another rocked the ground. A large part of the neighbouring ridge collapsed in itself. The two closest turbines seemed to be suspended in mid air for a moment, then they started to slip slide their way down the hill. The next turbine - turbine #6 - began to shiver and for a moment it looked as if it would follow the other two turbines.

But the man had planted his explosives very carefully. Instead of sliding down the hill, the tall tower started to lean away from the edge of the crater. It fell to its side only to be brought up short, when one of its blades impaled itself into the earth. Pinned to the ground on one side it balanced for a moment then tipped over, only to collide with another, still standing tower.

"Yes!" the man screamed in triumph.

His plan had worked perfect.

He was sure at least one of the two workers had survived and that he would call for the only help he would get out here.

International Rescue would come.

And then he, the Hood, would finally have their secrets.

The alarm echoed through the room and ripped Scott from a sleep that felt like it had lasted no more than a minute. Momentarily confused he looked around, wondering where the heck that annoying noise was coming from. It was dark and for a moment he had no idea where he was.

But if there had been one thing that his training at the Air Force had taught him, it was to wake up quickly.

Parallel dimension.

Secret rescue organization.

An alarm in the middle of the night.

That could mean only one thing.

Hitting the light switch, he rolled off the bed, pulled on his dressing gown and was out of the door, before the alarm tapered off and was silent.

From the other rooms, tousled-haired and bleary eyed, his brothers (from this and from his own world) emerged, heading for the lounge and their father's office.

He moved to get to Virgil's side and together they followed the others.

There was still night outside, not even the faintest sign of the rising sun yet to be seen. The moon had set in the meantime, and beyond the windows nothing but the blackest night was to be seen.

In contrast, Jeff's office was ablaze with light. Like the first time he had been here during a rescue mission, the portraits on the wall had been replaced by them in the International Rescue uniform. Instead of John's portrait there was a screen and his middle brother could be seen as he reported of an accident that had happened in California to Father who was sitting behind his desk.

"… are trapped in the control booth on top of the wind turbine. At least one of them is injured, but the other one seemed to be okay. It was he who called us. The whole system seems to be pretty unstable and it's only a matter of time before it will collapse. Because of the other wind turbines, it will be nearly impossible to get to them from above, but because of the weakness of the ground, I don't see how to get to them from below."

"Thanks, John, we'll take it from here."

Jeff turned, looking at the brothers and Brains all attired in dressing gowns, stifling yawns as they sat on the couch and chairs. If he was wondering about the presence of Scott and Virgil, he didn't show it.

"Boys, this is going to be a tricky one. There has been an earth slide in the area of a wind power plant in Northern California. One of the turbines has fallen over, leaning against the tower of a neighbouring wind turbine. There was a maintenance crew working in there when it collapsed and there is no way for them to get out.

"Alan, you take Thunderbird 1. See if there's any way we can get to them from the air. Gordon, you have Thunderbird 2. Brains is going to meet you there in a minute. If push comes to shove, you'll need to pull the whole system up."

There was a chorus of 'Yes, sir!' and Alan stepped to Scott's portrait, preparing to vanish behind the picture for the hidden walkway to Thunderbird 1, while Gordon was heading for Virgil's picture.

"Sir?" Scott asked, standing up. "What about us?"

Jeff looked up, seemingly only now noticing his two inter-dimensional visitors.

"Yes, Scott?" he asked.

"We want to help, sir."

Jeff's face didn't betray anything of what he was thinking.

"Scott, this is going to be dangerous."

Scott nodded. "I know, sir. But I also know that you are two people short because of us. You can use our help."

Jeff searched Scott's eyes. "Are you sure?"

Scott looked over to Virgil, who gave him a wan smile and a nod, then back to Jeff.

He nodded again. "Yes, sir, we are sure."

Jeff hesitated for a second, then inclined his head minutely.

"All right, you can go too," he said, but holding up his hand, when he saw Scott about to follow Alan. "You are both going with Thunderbird 2. And, you will follow Alan and Gordon's command. When they say to back off, you will back off. Is that understood?"

Scott hesitated. He really had been hoping to fly with Thunderbird 1. And obeying his two youngest brothers – he didn't look forward to that. But he could understand Jeff. He and Virgil didn't have the training and the experience their counterparts in this world had.

Jeff continued, echoing the thoughts that went through Scott's head: "You two haven't done this before. I know you have a sensible head on your shoulders, so you know that you don't have the training and the experience."

Scott had no choice.

"Yes, sir," he said, hearing the same from Virgil.

"All right. Thunderbirds are go!"

TBC

And of they go, riding the white horse to the rescue (or in this case, the green horse)


	7. Riding the White Horse Or In This Case,

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 7: Riding the White Horse (Or In This Case, Green)

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The launch preparations went on in a whirl of activity. Scott and Virgil felt a little superfluous, as they had no actual plan what was going on. Sure, they had an idea – there were only so many items one could take care of within the preparation for a mission, but as they didn't know where everything was and where it had to go, they quickly decided to move out of the way and let the others do their job.

No more than a minute after they had left the lounge, a deep rumble that was as much felt as heard indicated the launch of Thunderbird 1. Scott wished he could see her, but just then, Brains took them to the passenger seats for Thunderbird 2 and told them to buckle in.

Two minutes later, the green behemoth started to move. Up ahead, they could see the launch bay doors opening and they rolled out. The palm trees lining the runway for the 'official' air planes of Tracy Island seemed to be impossibly close to the huge transporter, when they suddenly flipped aside like some toy trees and made way for them. When they reached the end of the runway, the world under them tilted away and the nose of Thunderbird 2 was pointing towards the dark sky.

The transporter plane started to quiver and to shake and somewhere behind them the engine growled to life. The noise rose in pitch and suddenly, with a stomach lurching shove, Thunderbird 2 pushed off up into the air.

It was not the fast and furious launch of a fighter jet, but for all that it was more impressive than any launch Scott had ever been in. Power resonated through the frame of Thunderbird 2 as she climbed steadily towards the sky. A rocket launch was probably closer to it in feel. He had to ask John. And if it was, then Scott suddenly understood why John was so addicted to it.

It took a few minutes for the transporter to reach its cruising altitude. As ahead of them the sun began to rise, Brains took off his seat belt and indicated them to follow.

He led them to a small room of the side that contained two bunk beds and several lockers.

"You better ch-ch-ch-change into uniform," he said, opening one of the lockers and handing out two blue uniforms.

Brains himself already had changed, though for the life of him, Scott couldn't remember when the scientist had found the time to do so.

As Scott and Virgil both didn't want to take part on a rescue mission wearing nothing but their boxer shorts and a dressing gown, they both quickly changed. Placing the silly little hat on his head -- that one definitely needed to change if they really managed to create some sort of International Rescue in their universe -- he looked over to Virgil, grinning.

His younger brother, though, looked serious. He had pulled out the gun he had found in the holster that was part of his yellow sash, and now fingered it with an unhappy expression on his face.

After a moment's hesitation, Scott reached over and took it out of Virgil's hand.

"I'm sure we're not going to need those," he said softly.

Virgil allowed for Scott to gently return the gun to its holster. He took a deep breath, then looked up.

"I know," he said softly. "It's just ... it brought back some bad memories." He smiled weakly then adjusted his sash a little. "So, what do you think?" he asked, making a slow turn.

"Fetching I have to say," Scott said, and then repeated Virgil's move. "And I?"

Virgil returned Scott's wide grin. "You're looking mighty spiffy, old chap."

And both dissolved into laughter.

It felt good to hear Virgil laugh.

There was a knock on the door and immediately they grew sober again. Brain entered, holding out two of those wristwatch communicators they had seen before.

"For you," he said, "with those you can co-co-communicate with every one of us."

They put on the communicators, and followed Brains again, as he now headed for the belly of Thunderbird 2.

"You n-n-n-need to know about the equipment, we're probably go-go-go-going to use during the re-re-re-rescue."

They passed through a double door and climbed down a small ladder into the inside of the pod that Thunderbird 2 had taken on before taking off from Tracy Island.

They paid close attention to what Brains was explaining to them. The equipment the scientist showed them was ingeniously designed, easy to operate and looked very sturdy. They had no problems to follow him.

A small tinkle made itself felt in Scott's stomach. They really were on an International Rescue rescue mission. They didn't know what the next couple of hours would bring, but they would do their best to help two people whom they didn't know anything about, only that without the help of International Rescue, they might die.

It felt good. It felt right.

They were in the air for a little over half an hour when their communicators / wristwatches came to life.

"Thunderbird 1 here, I'm approaching the danger zone," Alan's voice could be heard thinly from the small speakers.

"This is not looking good," he continued. "The turbine the two guys are trapped in is leaning against a second tower and the blades of that one are still moving. There's no place I can land close-by, the ground is simply too unstable. I'm heading for the next ridge, but I'm afraid, we'll have to do this from the air."

The two brothers and Brains headed back to the cockpit. Outside of the windows all they could see were a cloud-strewed sky.

Brains pushed a button and a screen appeared in a sidewall.

Scott had to concur with Alan: This didn't look good.

Along a long ridge about 30 modern windmills were placed in a neat double row. Close to the centre, a large hole had opened in the ground and swallowed two or three of the turbines. One turbine had tilted to the side, balancing precariously at the edge of the crater. One of its long blades was spiked into the ground, while the tower itself was leaning against the tower of another turbine. The two remaining blades looked to be only inches away from the blades of the standing turbine, which moved in steady circles in total disregard to the weight leaning against its base.

Scott was frankly amazed that the whole tableau hadn't collapsed by now.

He felt Thunderbird 2 tilting a little and they all scrambled to their seats to buckle up again. The transporter plane quickly lost height, dropping through the cloud cover. Ahead they could see the coast of California.

"Thunderbird 1, here's Thunderbird 2," Gordon spoke into his microphone, sounding more serious than Scott had ever heard him. "Our ETA is in seven minutes. Do you think we can land on the same ridge you're on?"

"That's an affirmative, Thunderbird 2. The ground is stable and there's enough room for you. I think the best approach is to drop the pod of Thunderbird 2 and use her winch to lower somebody down to the two trapped guys.

"Thunderbird 5, do you still have contact with the people trapped?"

"Yes, Thunderbird 1," came John's voice from the speaker. "I've spoken to one of them only a minute ago. The guy who got injured is in a bad way. He's trapped under some heavy machinery and has lost a lot of blood. His buddy is plenty worried about him. You'll need some lifting or cutting equipment to get him out of there."

"All right," said Alan. "We never get any heavy lifting equipment to them. In this case I'd say we use Thunderbird 2's winch to lower Brains and me down to the booth with the laser cutters. We cut the guy out and lift them both up. This will be some tricky flying, Gordon. The speed of those blades on that standing turbine is pretty damn fast and we cannot get too close to them."

Scott was impressed by the calm professionalism Alan displayed. The plan he had come up with might actually work, though he thought there was still some way to improve it.

"Do you have something to stop that other turbine with?" Scott interjected. "It will make the whole thing much easier. John, can't the command centre of that power plant switch them off remotely?"

"That's a negative. They've already tried, but the connections to maybe half of those wind generators have been cut. They have no control over them at the moment. They've sent somebody out, but it will take at least forty-five minutes for him to arrive."

"We could tr-tr-try and shut it off inside," Brain interjected. "Somebody would need to get up that tower and use the brakes on the bl-bl-blades. Though there's the risk that his might destroy the fragile balance there is."

"I think the risk is bigger if we leave them on," Virgil now said. He gestured at the screen. "Those towers are over two hundred and fifty feet tall, one of those blades is a good one hundred feet long. With one full rotation every three seconds the tip of each blade is moving with over a hundred miles per hour. To be out of the way of those blades, we need a line at least one hundred twenty feet long. And holding that line steady with those blades rushing by constantly…"

He didn't need to finish.

"If we go up that other tower, wouldn't it make more sense to cut through its wall?" Gordon now asked. "This way we'd have a more direct access."

But Brains shook his head. "No. If we'd c-c-cut a hole in that tower wall, the integrity of that t-t-turbine would be severely compromised. It will not stand the stress."

"And if we go through the gondola on top of the tower?" Gordon persisted.

"It will t-t-take too long to g-g-get our equipment up there," Brains said.

"All right," Scott said, before anybody else could interject. "I think the best thing is for Brains and maybe Virgil to try to shut that working turbine off. Gordon needs to fly Thunderbird 2, so that leaves me and Alan to rappel down to those men and get them out of there."

For a moment everybody was quite. Scott could sense how the others tried to find a hole in his plan, and part of him almost wished they did. They were the experts, had dozens of rescues under their belts and even though Scott knew that the plan was good, it still contained quite a bit of risk for them.

He wasn't afraid, not really, at least not for himself. He knew that he could do what he needed to do. He felt very awake; every fibre of his body more alive than it had been in a long time.

"Scott's right," Gordon finally said. "I can see no other way."

Scott almost heard the sigh from Alan and John through the airwaves, as they accepted Gordon's decision. They had been told that they were in command, and knowing his brothers, they had looked forward to it. But, as Scott had also known, they accepted that his plan was the best way to act.

They now had a plan; all they needed to do was to execute it.

TBC

AN: You didn't think that Scott (from any world you choose) would just sit back and watch his brother, right?

Tomorrow they will climb giants ...


	8. Climbing Giants

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 8: Climbing Giants

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The Hood watched from his hiding place how first the sleek blue-silver rocket named Thunderbirds 1 landed exactly in the place he had known they would choose and how a few minutes later the transport plane came in.

He had yet to see the pilot of the first Thunderbird, but as Thunderbird 2 came in, a door at the side of Thunderbird 1 opened and the pilot started to climb out. Even though the Hood was a good distance away, he immediately saw that it wasn't the usual dark-haired pilot, but a younger, blond man.

He still wondered why they had switched pilots, when the shadow of Thunderbird 2 darkened the sky, and he decided that it didn't matter.

The green transport fired its rockets and slowly manoeuvred to landing. Shortly after, the pilot of Thunderbird 1 walked over to the transport and waited for the side door to open.

For once, the Hood was in a perfect position to take pictures of the two planes, something he had been itching to do forever. But doing so, he would give away his position as their accursed camera detector was bound to alert the pilots of his action. It was something that had happened in the past and he was not keen on making that same mistake again. Besides, his objective today wasn't to take pictures. Today he wanted more.

The frame of Thunderbird 2 started to rise on its telescopic legs, revealing the pod she had carried from their secret base. Soon the large door was free and it opened with a soft whirring sound. Two of the Thunderbirds pilots left the pod's bay on hover cycles, heading for the wind farm on the next ridge.

In the mean time the blond pilot had vanished inside of Thunderbird 2, and now the frame of the transport plane fired its boosters and lifted off, leaving its pod and Thunderbird 1 behind.

For a moment the Hood thought about abandoning his original plan and try stealing Thunderbird 1 instead. But then he decided against it. The pilot certainly wouldn't leave his oh so precious plane behind unguarded. And then there was the question that even if he would manage to get inside the craft, he would need some time to overcome their security and by that time the pilots would certainly be back to disturb him.

No, his target today was to get one of those pilots on his own. And once the pilot was in his powers, he would tell him all the secrets of International Rescue.

And he would finally triumph.

-------

As Virgil left the pod of Thunderbird 2 he had the sudden feeling that somebody was watching them. But when he looked around, he couldn't see a soul, and he brushed it off as a figment of his over-active imagination. Brains didn't seem to sense anything, so he followed his lead.

They steered the hover cycles down the ridge the two Thunderbirds had landed on. Behind him, Thunderbird 2 fired her VTOL engine and lifted free of her pod, not unlike a giant green bird leaving behind an immensely huge egg.

As they headed across to the next ridge and their task, he thought about the whole rescue.

The last hour had been a whirl of activities, of excitement. Last night, when he had seen the Thunderbirds for the first time, he had been deeply impressed and the engineer in him had marvelled at the construction and the wonder those machines were. He had seen the glimmer in Scott's eyes and, certainly, he himself had wondered how they handled in real life.

But he never thought that he would actually take part in a real rescue, and he wasn't so sure what he was to think of it now.

When Scott had asked him if he thought they should get involved in this, he hadn't hesitated for a second. After all, it had been his fault that the people here were two men short. If he had only arrived sooner at the scene, he would have been able to spare the other Virgil his injury.

But he hadn't – the pirates on the island, they had scared him. He wasn't one for guns and having those people there, in their home, threatening his family, he had pretty much panicked. Taking out that one man in the round house had been scary, and only the thought that his family was still in danger had driven him to take the gun and return to the living room.

And then there was Dad and this pirate and also there was him, another him, that's it.

Even after everything Scott had told him, when he had still thought that the Scott he had been talking to was 'his' Scott, he had been pretty shocked. Who wouldn't have been?

When the pirate's gun went of, it was pure survival instinct that had made him pull the trigger.

Made him kill a man.

Yes, the pirate had been a criminal. Yes, he had done what he did in order to save one of his family. Yes, he had done the right thing.

He knew all that.

Still.

He took a deep breath, concentrating on steering the hover cycle up along the crater the earth slide had left in the ridge with the wind park.

Coming here, to save the two trapped men, was a way to right the wrong he had done.

Of course Scott wouldn't think this way. For him, it simply was the right thing to do, and that there was no question of atoning for anything.

From the beginning, he had seen that Scott thought International Rescue was the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel, if not since the discovery of fire. He had known for some time now that Scott wasn't exactly happy with the Air Force - Scott always had confided in him and he had complained more than once that they were pushing him more and more towards a desk job. IR was just the thing Scott had been looking for, and it was only natural that he wished to start something like that back home.

Virgil also knew that Dad would probably go along with the idea. It was, after all, finally something where he could be sure that his money was used the very best way. To be honest, lately, Dad had become restless. As much as running a worldwide company was keeping him busy, he had said on one occasion that he wanted to do something else, though what that 'else' was, he didn't elaborated. Mom had only smiled vaguely and said nothing, but they had all thought that it was some sort of midlife crisis setting in.

Mom - damn, he wished he could talk to her about the whole thing. He wished he could talk to her, period. What had happened, what he had done, back home, it had rattled him deeply. Speaking with Scott had helped a little, but still ….

It was so strange that Mom wasn't here, that she wasn't alive in this world. The thought what they would do without her wasn't something he really wanted to contemplate. She was always there when one of them needed her. Even though they all were grown men now - well, all but Alan, really - they still spoke with her at least once a week, no matter where in the world they were. And she always had time for them, listened and, when necessary, set them straight.

He wondered, what she would think of this here.

Ahead of him, Brains crested the ridge and they found themselves underneath the towers of the wind farm.

Hundreds of feet tall, the giant towers loomed high over them. The turbines' blades sped by, whooshing overhead. To their right, the fallen turbine still balanced precariously on one of its blades.

They aimed for the tower the fallen turbine was leaning against. Brains, not wasting any time, got off his hover cycle and ran to the door in the base of the tower. He did something to the lock and for a moment it was hidden behind a veil of steam. When the steam cleared, the lock wasn't there anymore and Brains opened the door easily.

Virgil shouldered the pack Brain had handed him before in Thunderbird 2 and followed the scientist inside.

Looking up the metal staircase that wound upwards the inside of the tower, he sighed and then started to jog up.

Virgil knew he was pretty fit. He took a run every morning - though usually a little bit later than Scott, who, besides being a health nut, also used to rise at an ungodly hour - and worked out whenever he had the time.

But climbing a two hundred and fifty meter tall tower wasn't something one did every day. To distract himself, he started to count the steps, giving himself a mental pat on the back every time he managed a round hundred. The first hundred steps were easy, and the second weren't too bad, really, but then it got tough. His heart was pounding in his chest, his breath was coming in short desperate bursts as his lungs tried to pull in as much oxygen as possible. The pack on his back was beginning to gain weight somehow, weightening him down.

Brains, still ahead of him, was pulling on the railing. Virgil could hear his gasps over the pounding of his own heart. But, he had to give it to the scientist, he wasn't giving up.

Virgil had just reached three hundred, when Brains stopped, bending over, gulping in large lung-fulls of air. Even though Virgil wasn't exactly opposed to taking a short break, he was thinking of the people trapped in the other tower, and he knew he couldn't take a rest now.

He stopped for a moment next to Brains, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder, then he resolutely turned his gaze up the staircase and took the next step. He had taken maybe twenty steps when he heard Brains following him again.

At four hundred the stitch in his side reached a never before felt level. No matter how hard he tried, he thought he wouldn't be able to take another step. Each of his legs seemed to weigh a ton. Air seemed to be a foreign concept, not something somebody could draw.

As much as he hated himself for it, he stopped, only for moment - at least that's what he told himself.

Why had he thought he could do that? That he should to it?

Yeah, right, those people trapped in the other tower. Scott, and the others, waiting for them to stop the turbine, so they could get to them and pull them out - save their life.

Somewhere, he did not know where, he found another source of strength and he pulled himself up another step and another.

He had stopped counting, but suddenly there were no steps left and for a moment Virgil trembled on the edge and almost fell. He pulled himself up and found that he really had reached the end of the staircase. There was a platform and an opening in the wall ahead. And beyond was the engine room with the generator that converted the rotation of the three large blades outside into electricity.

Standing there for a moment, his chest heaving painfully, he scanned the generator room. There had to be some sort of brakes around here.

Brains appeared on the platform. He looked around wildly, then, spotting Virgil, he moved slowly to his side.

"We need," he gasped, "find brakes."

Yeah, Virgil had figured that much already.

Luckily enough, a wind turbine was in principle a fairly basic machine and soon he spotted a metal box on a sidewall next to a machine that was not part of the generator.

The most efficient way of stopping the rotation of a wind turbine was by a simple electromagnetic brake. By dumping the energy from the generator into a resistor bank, heat was generated, speed was destroyed and the turbine slowed down. After the speed was low enough, mechanical drum brakes could be used to hold the turbine at rest.

This metal box had to house the brake controls.

Virgil forced himself to step forward and attempted to open the box. It was locked.

Brains appeared on his side and pulled on the strap of Virgil's pack. Understanding what the scientist wanted, but lacked the air to express verbally, he shrugged out of it, dropping it to their feet. Brains opened it and started to rummage inside.

After a second he pulled out a tiny laser cutter, but when he tried to use it on the box his hands were shaking too hard to be of any use.

Angrily he mumbled something Virgil didn't quite get, though he could take a guess on the principle idea.

He took the cutter out of Brain's hands and used it to cut the box open. Inside was a large throw switch labelled 'ON' and 'OFF'. Currently it was set to 'OFF'

He didn't hesitate and threw the switch.

A shudder rippled through the tower. It groaned like a living beast and Brains and Virgil had to struggle for the moment to remain standing. They hoped that this didn't mean that the other tower was falling.

The needle on an indicator to their left started to drop slowly. Virgil grinned at Brains and the scientist beamed back.

"You know," Virgil said, still somewhat out of breath, "that we have to get down there again. All those stairs."

Brains' eyes widened and he groaned.

TBC

Well, I'm not sure if I can post tomorrow, but I'll try. Merry Christmas to you all.


	9. Getting Ready

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

--------------------------------------------

Chapter 9: Getting Ready

--------------------------------------------

While Brains and Virgil headed for the base of the turbine the fallen windmill was leaning against, Gordon moved Thunderbirds 2 away from her pod and to their target.

Alan had taken Scott to a room in the lower part of Thunderbird 2, which contained a winch and a kind of large cage, which, as Scott surmised, could be lowered from Thunderbird 2 by a set of chains at the corners. At one side of the cage was a set of controls and there were several slots to put in rescue equipment that filled the rest of the space.

Alan helped Scott into a harness before donning one himself. Then he handed him a headset and Scott put it on.

"Have you done something like this before?" Alan asked, as he checked that all the straps on his harness were secure.

Scott, who had been doing the same thing on his harness, shrugged. "Not quite like here," he said, "the most I've ever done was taking the basic rescue training with the Air Force. Lowering yourself from helicopters and such."

"This is a little bit easier, actually, as we do have the rescue capsule," Alan explained, pointing as the cage. "There's room enough for four, so we can bring up people who are wounded."

He paused, a wan grin on his face. "You know, it's strange to have to ask you that. When I look at you I see Scott, I mean my Scott, and I know that he could do this. But then I need to remind me that you are not my Scott and I pretty much know nothing about you."

Scott grinned in return. "And I need to remind myself that you are not my Alan, too. You're different in a way, but actually, I don't think you are that different. And I hope I'm not too different from your Scott, really. Not where it counts."

With a crackle their headsets came to life. "We're on top of that turbine now. But the blades are still moving and they cause some fierce turbulence. No way can I get close enough as long as they are on."

"Virgil and Brains will switch them off soon," Scott said, a little bit more optimistic than he really felt.

He checked his watch and found that it was only a few minutes since their take off.

The whole rescue so far had gone by with the speed of light, even the flight to the wind farm had been filled with a hundred things to do and to learn on the spot. And now, suddenly, it grounded to an abrupt halt. As long as Virgil and Brains haven't stopped the turbine there was nothing they could do but wait.

They were ready.

He hoped.

Alan pushed a control on the wall and a part of the floor slid aside. They now could see the turbine underneath and the blades rushing by, seemingly only a few feet away, cutting through the air with alarming speed. Every time the tip of one of the blades close, Thunderbird 2 gave a shudder and a little lurch.

"I better never tell that Virgil," Alan muttered.

Scott looked up at the face of his youngest brother - well, technically not really 'his' youngest brother, but he had decided a good while ago that it didn't really matter, and that thinking too hard about all that would only lead to a nasty headache.

"Why?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. Well, Virgil - our Virgil - he's somewhat … well, protective, you could say of his baby. If I told him Gordon was flying so close to the blades - let's say, he wouldn't like it."

Scott grinned. He had noticed before that each of the Tracys had his favourite vehicle. And knowing them, he wasn't exactly surprised that Virgil would be protective of his. He guessed that each of them was to a certain degree.

And still, he also knew that each of them wouldn't hesitate for a second to throw that favourite vehicle - or themselves for that matter - into danger when it meant that they could save a life doing so.

Suddenly he felt a warm wave of pride rush through him. Yes, he knew that they weren't really 'his' brothers, but still, that they were doing this, were saving lives …

"Alan," he said, his voice suddenly thick. "I know it's not my place as I'm not really your brother, but still, what you guys do here, well, I think it's great. Dad must be very proud."

Alan blushed and looked away for a moment, but when he looked up again, Scott could see in his eyes that he was pleased.

"I think the blades are slowing down," he said, obviously glad that he didn't need to reply to Scott's remark.

Indeed the blades were decelerating. Scott checked his watch and was impressed. He had thought it would take longer for Virgil and Brains to reach the top of that tower.

"Okay," Gordon said over their headsets. "I'm moving in."

Thunderbird 2 banked away from the still slowly rotating blades and dropped a good hundred and fifty feet. Scott realized that with the blades stopped, they didn't have to go in from the top of the tower, but could move underneath the blades, getting much closer to the gondola where the maintenance workers were trapped. He only needed to make sure to keep enough distance so that the engine exhaust of the large transporter plane didn't affect the fragile balance of the two towers.

Through the hole in the floor, the maintenance gondola of the fallen turbine came into view. Alan pulled on the rescue capsule, and the contraption moved over the hole and locked into place.

Scott rushed to get into the cage and waited impatiently for Alan to follow. The metal mesh on the sidewalls went only to hip height and he attached his harness to the centre pole for additional security. Alan, who had brought in some equipment, followed suit and closed the half height door.

"Gordon, are you ready?"

"FAB."

Alan turned to the controls and with a metal bang the capsule started to lower through the hole.

Gordon had parked Thunderbird 2 about thirty feet above the turbine's gondola. Scott looked down, trying to see if there would be a good way to get inside. He knew that there had to be some external hatch for the maintenance workers to reach the blades of the turbine in order for them to perform small repairs outside. And indeed, it didn't take long for him to spot the hatch on top of the gondola. Due to the current position of the wind turbine, the hatch was not on top but on the side, tilted by a good thirty degrees.

"Alan," he called, and, after his youngest brother turned to him, pointed towards the hatch.

Alan nodded.

"Gordon," he now contacted the pilot of Thunderbird 2, "there's a hatch about fifteen feet ahead. Can you move that bird a little closer?"

Again Gordon replied only with a short "FAB."

Thunderbird 2 moved forwards seemingly at the snail's pace. Scott checked his progress and after a moment called out, "That's it, Gordon. Now five feet to the left and we'll be directly above the hatch."

Alan, meanwhile, had lowered the capsule so that they were less than two feet away from the access. Before Alan could act, Scott unlocked his harness and opened the cage door. Alan looked annoyed, but Scott ignored him, and after a moment, Alan backed off and let Scott be.

Even though Gordon tried his best to keep Thunderbird 2 steady, the capsule still moved a foot or so every time there was a gust of wind pushing against the large frame of the 'bird. Scott waited for a moment when the capsule was closest to the hatch and then he simply jumped, ignoring the fact that he was still over fifty feet above the ground and a fall would probably result in injury if not in death. There was a short, heart stopping moment, then he found a grip and held tight.

"Alan," he commanded, "give me that cutter."

For a moment it looked like Alan wanted to protest, but then he handed him the tool.

There was not enough room for them both to find space on the gondola close to the hatch. Luckily the builders of the turbines had considered that one day people might be required to climb around – though they most likely had never considered exactly the current situation - and there were a couple of hooks Scott could use to fix his safety harness to the turbine.

Having some hold, he took the laser cutter and attacked the hatch. He made short work of the lock and within seconds he was able to open the hatch.

He unhooked himself and slipped inside.

----

Fifty feet below, Virgil and Brains opened the door of the standing tower. As they stepped outside, they looked up only to find their view of the sky blocked by the frame of Thunderbird 2. Though the 'bird looked still impressive, it was dwarfed by the cheer size of the turbine next to it.

In the forward section, a hole had opened and they could see something lowered to the gondola of the fallen turbine. But there was no sign of Scott and Alan, who should be working somewhere up there.

'Let them be save', Virgil prayed silently.

"Thunderbird 2, here is Brains," Brains spoke into his wristcom. "We h-h-have reached the foot of the tower again. Can w-w-we do anything else to help?"

"Here's Thunderbird 2," Gordon promptly replied. "Right now, there's nothing you guys can do here. Best is for you to return to the pod."

"FAB," Brains said.

Virgil hesitated, but when Brains mounted his hover cycle he followed suit. He didn't really want to leave, but there was really nothing they could do here anymore, and the least they could do was to be at the pod when Thunderbird 2 returned with the rescued people.

As they reached the other ridge, Brains re-opened the pod and they stowed the bikes inside.

Having nothing else to do, they both got out again, and watched the rescue on the other ridge.

Thunderbird 2 had moved away a little from the turbine, waiting for Scott and Alan to come back out. Virgil could only guess that inside, his brothers were working on getting the two trapped men outside. He hoped that they wouldn't run into any difficulties.

"Excuse me," a strange voice suddenly said at his side.

He turned around and saw a bald man standing there, holding a gun in his hand. Virgil didn't have time to take in much of his looks, as suddenly the man's eyes seemed to light up. Involuntarily, he had to look into those eyes. He heard a soft gasp from Brains, then his world turned blindingly white and he didn't know anything anymore.

TBC

uhoh, trouble is here ... next chapter: Mysteries And Complications


	10. Mysteries And Complications

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 10: Mysteries And Complications

-------------------------------------------------------

Close to the big pod Thunderbird 2 had dropped, the Hood watched how International Rescue somehow managed to stop the rotation of the turbine the fallen tower was leaning against and how the big ship was lowering two of the pilots down to the gondola of the fallen tower.

Impatiently, the Hood waited for his chance.

He didn't need to wait for very long. While the large ship remained at the turbines, the two pilots who had left on their hover cycles returned.

The Hood was pleased when he realized that one of them wasn't actually one of the normal pilots but the engineer whom he had met before. Of all the operatives of International Rescue, he was the one who knew all the secrets, who was able to tell him how to build his own, powerful machines. Even though he would have settled happily for any of the pilots - alone for the fact that he would revel in breaking them and paying them back for all the things they had done to him - they simply didn't have the knowledge he craved. They were just the muscle, while the engineer, yes, he was the brains.

Not realizing that they were closely watched, the two men returned their hover cycles. Then they took up post outside of the pod, watching the happenings on the other ridge.

This was his chance.

He pulled his gun and walked softly over to the two oblivious men.

"Excuse me," he said, not to apologize to them - nothing would be further from his mind - but simply to get their attention.

Like one, they turned around. Before either of them could react, he directed the amazing power of his mind towards the auburn haired pilot. The man didn't stand a chance. Within a moment the Hood had overpowered the other's mind. With a simple command, the pilot shut down and he crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. He wouldn't disturb him any more.

The engineer's eyes widened behind his blue-rimmed glasses.

"What d-d-do you want?" he gasped out, holding up a hand as if to fend off the Hood.

As if he could.

The Hood pointed his gun at the engineer and indicated that he should move away from the pod.

"Where are we g-g-going?" the man said, frozen with fear.

"Never you mind," the Hood replied. "You move."

Finally the engineer relented. He nervously rubbed his left arm, as he slowly started to move.

In a few minutes they would reach the Hood's car. Then they would drive away and then he finally, finally would get what rightfully was his.

-----

Scott climbed inside the gondola, pulling out his flashlight and pointed it around. Even though some light was falling in through the open hatch, the interior of the gondola was dark and gloomy.

"Hello, is there anybody?" he called out.

There was a moment of quiet, then from somewhere not too far away: "Help! We are here!"

All walls and the floor were tilted at a crazy angle. The generator of the wind turbine was a large round cylinder, which normally was lying on its side in the centre of the room. It used to be fixed to the floor of the gondola by several large bolts. When the blade of the turbine had impacted with the ground, those bolts had been sheered off, causing the generator to shift inside the housing of the gondola, ripping part of the metal mesh floor to shreds. The room was littered with debris, and as Scott waved his light around in his search for the source of the voice, he needed a moment to orientate himself.

Suddenly there was something white flashing in one corner and he moved further inside, attempting to get closer, while struggling to find a hold at the walls and floor.

Alan followed him. He added his flashlight to Scott's and together they scrambled ahead.

Soon they had reached the two trapped men. The man who had waved to them looked up with a mixture of hope and despair. He had wedged himself into a corner formed by the huge generator and the wall, holding in his lap the head of another man, who seemed to be deeply unconscious.

At least Scott hoped that this was the case. That they hadn't arrived too late.

"He's trapped," the man said, his voice rough. "I tried to get him out, but I can't. He lost so much blood. So much blood…" He looked away, obviously trying to hide his emotions.

Scott found some room near him, but allowed Alan to move past them and closer to the injured man. Immediately, his youngest brother started to check with calm competency for the trapped man's vitals in the light Scott provided.

"Hi," Scott tried to capture the attention of the distraught man. "My name's Scott."

The man looked from his friend to Alan and finally back to Scott. "Chris Buchart," he said. "This is Bob Hampton. We are working here,"

Scott smiled reassuringly. "You're doing good, Chris. We'll get Bob out in no time, and then we bring you both to safety."

Alan looked up from where he was working on Bob. "Bob is doing fine, but we better get him out soon. He has lost quite a bit of blood."

Now Scott pointed his light at the bottom of Bob's body and nearly gasped. When the generator had shifted, Bob must have been thrown against the wall by the impact, and then a spear-like bit of the former floor had imbedded itself deeply into his torso. Now he was pinned like an overly large insect against the wall.

Maybe it was a good thing that he had lost consciousness.

Scott swallowed. It wasn't that he was particularly squeamish, but he had ever only seen injuries like this in pictures, and nothing ever in such detail. Alan also seemed the be a bit paler than normal, but that might be due to the scant lighting in the gondola, as he did work with steady fingers with the small first aid kit he had brought along.

Scott turned his head away from the gruesome sight and addressed Chris, trying to keep his voice level. "How long has he been out?" he asked gently.

Chris took a deep breath, looked at his friend and back to Scott. "He was awake for a long time. He was in so much pain, but I knew I couldn't move him, and I had nothing to help him. So I told him that you guys are coming and that you will get him out. But maybe ten minutes ago he wouldn't react to my questions any more."

"You did the right thing," Alan said now. "We need to brace the generator before we can do anything else. Then we can cut him out and get him to a hospital. He will be fine."

After a minute, Alan had done what he could do to stabilise the injured man, and wriggled back out. Sitting on his haunches, he thought for a moment.

Scott wondered what they could do. It was clear that they needed to cut the metal bit before they could attempt to move Bob. Pulling it out was out of the question, as the same piece of metal that was causing his injury, was right now the only thing that kept him alive, as it blocked the flow of blood. If they'd pull it out, he would bleed to death within minutes, if not seconds. He might not be a medic, but so much he knew.

However, right now, that same piece of metal held up a good part of the weight of the generator. Cutting it would most likely result in the generator moving and ultimately in squishing the poor man to death.

Not an acceptable outcome.

They had to stabilize the generator somehow.

But how?

Scott was still searching for something that looked like they could use it for bracing the generator, when Alan pushed a small, metal bottle into his hand.

Scott looked up, slightly confused. What was he to do with that bottle?

Alan crawled back underneath the generator to the other side of the wounded man. He was also holding a similar bottle. When he had reached his goal, he pulled a small pin, pushed a button and yellow foam began to spew out of the nozzle. Where the foam hit the wall it immediately turned hard. With practiced and economic moves, he built the foam up, creating a solid block.

Scott realized that the foam was to brace the generator – the very, very heavy generator. He could hardly believe that this foam would be sufficient to do the job.

Nevertheless he copied Alan's movements, creating a block of foam on the other side of the trapped man. He had to trust that Alan knew what he was doing.

Finally Alan seemed to be satisfied, and stopped spraying, indicating to Scott to stop as well. He crawled back out, assessing their work.

"That should do it," he said, looking satisfied.

Chris looked doubtful, and Scott couldn't exactly blame him. After all, this was only some foam, not a block of steel.

Alan grinned, then picked up a piece of metal and smashed it against the block Scott had just created. The piece of metal bent, the block of foam didn't even show a dent.

"Wow," murmured Chris.

'Wow,' thought Scott.

"Something one of our engineers has come up with. A synthetic metal compound with the strength of tempered steel," he explained. "Practically impossible to remove later, but that's not the objective right now. Now we need to cut your friend out."

Scott pulled Chris up and pushed him towards the exit. When Alan had cut Bob free, they needed to get him out as soon as possible. There was no time to waste.

"Thunderbird 5 to rescue team, please come in."

"What's up, Thunderbird 5," Scott replied, as Alan was just crawling back into the narrow space between the generator and the wall, ready to cut the trapped man free.

"Scott, we have a problem!"

TBC

next chapter: A hero is 'No Braver Than An Ordinary Man' - only braver five minutes longer


	11. No Braver Than An Ordinary Man

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 11: No Braver Than An Ordinary Man

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"Virgil!"

Virgil groaned as he slow dug his way up through the slough that was his mind. He had a pounding headache and didn't appreciate somebody screaming directly into his right ear. Especially as he had the feeling it wasn't the first time he had been called.

"Virgil! Wake up!"

"Ugh!" he grunted, while his mind tried to remember why the heck he was laying on his side on some hard surface, and why the voice screaming at him on one hand sounded so concerned and on the other hand was so familiar.

"That's it, Virgil, get up," the voice commanded and he flailed around with his free hand in the search of some support to push himself into a sitting position. His other hand was trapped under his body, and for some strange reason he didn't seem to be able to get it out from there.

Finally his free hand found something to brace against and he heaved himself onto his knees.

Man, his head was killing him.

"Whasup?" he groaned, trying to determine whether it was a good idea to open his eyes or not. He had the feeling it wasn't, but then, he also had the feeling that he had not much choice in the matter.

"Virgil, you need to get up. We need your help," the voice said, and finally Virgil managed to attach a name to it.

"John?" he asked frowning. Something was very wrong. What was John doing here?

"Yes, it's me. And you need to get up!" John insisted.

Virgil blinked slowly. Yes, bad idea to open his eyes, as now in addition to the hammering behind his temples, a fiery lance seemed to impale itself into his brain through his eyes. But the urgency he felt in John's voice was enough to push past it.

He found that he had been lying next to the large pod of Thunderbird 2. He was still dressed in his blue International Rescue uniform, his hat next to him. In the distance over on the next ridge, he saw the frame of the huge 'bird hovering next to the two turbines. John's voice was coming from the nifty little watch communicator Brains had given him. His head had rested on his right arm, and that was the reason he had thought that John had been screaming directly into his ear. Because in a sense he had.

He pushed himself up, resting for a second as he got in a sitting position in order to prevent himself from throwing up.

"What happened, John?" he asked, breathing slowly through his nose.

He tried to remember by himself, but all he could come up with was the faint memory of a bald man with glowing eyes and a gun, and that was it.

"We're not sure, really, but Brains sent the emergency signal, and when I tried to contact you and you didn't respond, we got worried."

Brains. There was no sight of him.

He heaved himself to his feet, bracing himself against the sidewall of the pod to stop the world from spinning. Slowly the headache receded, not to a point that he really could ignore it, but at least so much that he thought he might be able to function.

"You're in Thunderbird 5," he stated, maybe not particularly intelligent, but he didn't think that 'intelligent' was in his grasp quite yet.

"Yes, Virgil, I'm still up here. And you are the only one who can do something about Brains at the moment. Scott, Gordon and Alan are all tied up in the rescue. They'll bring the injured man out in a minute, but then he needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

Okay, okay, yes, he remembered. There was the rescue mission going on.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, pressing his hands against his eyes. If he only could get rid of his headache.

"A few minutes, no more," John said. "What do you remember?"

"There was a man," he said slowly. "With a gun. And I think … I think his eyes glowed." What had happened, what he could dredge up from the depth of his mind, it still didn't make sense to him, but for some reason he thought it was important that he told John what he had seen.

A mute explicit came over the airwaves, and for John to curse, the news Virgil had given him must indeed be bad.

"What?" he asked, suddenly with an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.

He heard John sigh. "Virgil, this is bad. Brains must have been kidnapped by the Hood."

"The Hood?"

"Ever since we started International Rescue, he has tried to steal our secrets. He very nearly killed Gordon a month ago, and Scott also had a run in with him. These glowing eyes – he has some sort of hypnotic powers. He is very dangerous."

Virgil shuddered. John was normally the calmest of them five, but now Virgil could hear how scared his middle brother was.

This was not good.

Suddenly, Virgil was frightened. He wasn't cut out for this stuff. The other Virgil, the one from this world, he was the hero. He would certainly know what could be done in this situation. Not him. He was just an engineer, somebody who designed and built airplanes.

He was the wrong person for the job.

But he was also the only person for the job.

Even though it had been less than twenty-four hours since he had stepped into this world, he had come to like Brains a lot. His stutter and the large blue-rimmed glasses might have been off putting for some, but Virgil had instantly realized that they only hid a brilliant mind, a mind that was dedicated to helping his family here to realize their dream. Virgil might be reluctant to believe that at home they should follow the same dream, but here Brains belonged to the Tracys, not just like an employee, or a friend. No, he knew already that he was almost like a brother.

"What can I do?" he asked, his hands clenched into tight fists to keep them from shaking.

"I've got a lock on Brains," John said, sounding relieved. "At the moment he's only about three hundred yards away from where you are right now, moving slowly, as if they are on foot. If you get one of the hover cycles, you should have no problems catching up with them."

Virgil swallowed, then nodded, even though neither John nor anybody else was able to see him. Making his way toward the pod where they had stored the hover cycles he started thinking.

"John, when I find them, what is stopping this guy from doing that glowy eyes thing again. He had me out like a light in a second the last time."

John hesitated for a moment then said, "You cannot look into his eyes."

Yeah, right, don't look him in the eyes. And how was he supposed to stop him then? Virgil asked himself. Should he request from him politely to let Brains go while looking into another direction?

The weight of the gun at his side suddenly grew very heavy and Virgil pulled it out, studying it for a moment. After what happened yesterday, he had never again wanted to use another gun. Now he found that there might be no other way and he didn't like it a bit.

He returned the gun to its holster and started the hover cycle. Then he drove out of the pod's bay, following John's directions as he was giving them from Thunderbirds 5.

---

Only a few hundred yards away, though it might have been a hundred miles, Scott pulled Chris onto the rescue platform, while Alan fixed Bob's inert body into some kind of high tech stretcher. They had barely cleared the turbine, when Alan gave the all clear and the platform was raised back into Thunderbird 2's body.

Scott cast a worried glance over to the other ridge where Thunderbird 2's pod was clearly visible and where he knew Virgil was following a dangerous criminal all alone.

They had listened in on John and Virgil's communications, working all the time as fast as they could to free the trapped man. In a shorter time than he had thought would be possible they had managed to cut him loose, pull him out and move him to the hatch of the gondola.

Alan's sharp intake of breath when Virgil had mentioned the glowing eyes had told him more than words that this man was not unknown to the brothers from this world. John's explanation didn't sit well with him, and he wished nothing more than to be able to leave everybody here behind and come to Virgil's aid.

But he also knew that he couldn't.

The injured man was in a bad way. Even though Alan had attempted to secure the spike that had impaled Bob's torso, the wound had started to bleed again at an alarming rate. There was the very strong possibility that he was bleeding inside and if they didn't get him to a hospital as soon as possible, he would die. They, International Rescue, were the only chance the man had to survive.

The rescue platform vanished inside Thunderbirds 2's body, and immediately Scott felt the large plane shift and accelerate.

He wanted to stop Gordon, tell him to drop him off in Virgil's vicinity, so he could help him, but there was no time.

"We need to get him to the sickbay and stabilize him," Alan said, his voice tight, pushing the stretcher, which seemed to hover in mid air, towards the door.

Scott pulled himself away from his thoughts of Virgil and followed his youngest brother. Chris trailed after them.

"Gordon, what is our ETA at the hospital?" he asked, trying to sound as if the question was part of normal procedures. Not that he really knew what 'normal' procedures were for International Rescue.

"Four point five minutes. I've already alerted them of our coming and they will be ready when we arrive."

Four point five minutes. They needed to unload their passenger and then head straight back. That would possibly take another five minutes at least. Nine point five minutes. Never had a few minutes seemed so long.

They had reached the sick bay and Alan started to attach the injured man to various machines and bags with fluids, working with practiced moves. Chris was hovering in the background, watching him with large, scared eyes.

Scott was feeling very superfluous.

He moved back into the corridor, out of the way.

For a moment he leaned his forehead against the cool bulkhead, then he straightened up.

"Scott to Thunderbird 5," he talked into the microphone of his headset, assuming that his middle brother was monitoring all their airwaves. "John, what's the status?"

"Virgil is gaining ground," John immediately answered, confirming Scott's suspicions, "but he's still a good bit away. The road is about a hundred yards away from where Brains and the Hood are right now and I can detect a vehicle there. When they reach it, he will be lost."

"Is there anything you can do?"

Just last night, he had seen a hundred miraculous things on Tracy Island, surely there had to be something to stop one man from reaching a road.

"I'm sorry, Scott. If I'll do anything, then I only risk Brains' life as well."

Scott sighed. He hadn't actually expected that there was something, but it would have been nice.

"How's Virgil holding up? Can you patch me through to him?"

"Sure," John said. "It's all voice activated."

"Scott calling Virgil," he said, just as Thunderbird 2 was shifting again, moving into a left turn.

"Scott?" Virgil acknowledged, sounding glad to hear his brother's voice.

"Damnit, Virg, I wish I could help you, but we need to get this guy here to the hospital ASAP. We got them both aboard, but we really need to hurry."

There was a moment of silence.

"It's okay, Scott. I can handle this."

"Virg," Scott started, but then stopped again.

"Yes?"

"Just, be careful. We'll be back in nine minutes," he said, trying not to sound like he was fretting. He didn't believe he was very successful.

"I will, Scott," Virgil said quietly. "Over and out."

The silence of the airwaves mocked him, and with a guttural cry he drove his fist into the unyielding bulkheads of Thunderbird 2.

TBC

So, Virgil is off to play the hero and Scott is worried ... nothing new here :)

Next chapter: Virgil has 'A Déjà Vu Moment'


	12. A Déjà Vu Moment

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 12: A Déjà Vu Moment

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Not far from the ridge where Thunderbird 1 was parked and Thunderbird 2's pod rested, lay the edge of the Eureka National Forest. Two hundred and fifty-two square miles of almost wilderness were protected by the law from any form of construction or human habitation. Only a few roads led through this wilderness, access ways for the loggers - for there was a limited amount of timber industry allowed - and for the forest rangers.

Now, as the Hood with his prisoner was cutting his way through the dense woods, the master criminal cursed the National Protection Act, the Forest Ranger Service and most of all the idiot who had planned the roads through the forest and forced him to park his car so far away from the place where he had made his ambush.

"Move faster," he pushed his prisoner on. He had tied the engineer's hand behind his back, and without the balance the arms normally provided, the idiot stumbled and almost fell, slowing him down even further.

He had already lost too much time and it wouldn't be long until International Rescue realized that he had kidnapped one of them. It wasn't very likely that they could find him between those trees, at least not from the air, but it was better not to take any risks.

In the beginning, when he had started his war against those stupid fools who wasted their time, energy and technology to help other people, he had thought it would be easy to take their wondrous machines and use them for more useful endeavours. But through a combination of sheer luck and some meagre skills, they had foiled his plans again and again. Even the control he had over his weakling of a half-brother, who worked as a servant for his enemies, had not been enough to learn their secrets.

The memory of those failed attempts boiled within him and now he regretted that he hadn't taken the time to kill the pilot he had had in his grasp. The Hood hadn't wanted to risk a shot, as this certainly would have alerted the others who were working on the rescue. Still, it would have felt so sweet.

"What do you w-w-want from me?" his prisoner stammered. The man couldn't even talk right.

"Move," he commanded, pushing him again.

Oh, how he would enjoy taking the knowledge from him. Safely locked away in his hiding place, he would take his time pulling from him the information he wanted. And when he finally had the knowledge he desired, he would take his final revenge on Jeff Tracy and his family.

Where was that stupid car? It couldn't be far now.

The forest cleared up a little to his right hand side, and finally he could see the road ahead.

Not far. It wasn't far now.

Suddenly a sound from behind him made him turn around and curse aloud.

-----

Virgil had driven the hover cycle as fast as he dared through the dense forest. John had explained to him how to set his wrist communicator to track the signal from Brains' watch, and he had tried to follow the blinking dot that indicated the direction Brains was going as directly as possible.

He had scratches in his face from small branches he had seen too late, and one particular branch had almost unseated him, though he had managed to duck out of the way at the last possible moment.

Even though the chase had taken no more than five minutes so far, he felt exhausted and he didn't know if he could take much more of it.

A blue flash from ahead alerted him that he finally had caught up with his quarry. It was the same blue that his uniform had, the blue of Brains' uniform.

He slowed the hover cycle, trying to catch a look of the Hood who had to be not far away.

Suddenly he heard a shot and from a tree next to him splinters exploded outwards.

Immediately he ditched the hover cycle and dove behind the tree, hoping that it would provide him with enough cover.

He pulled his gun, hating the feeling of the weapon in his hand, but knowing that he had no alternative. Of the nine minutes Scott had given him, only two remained. In two minutes the others would be here and then he would have help. All he needed to do was to delay the Hood for so long. Two minutes. That couldn't be too hard.

"Hood," he called out. "Let your prisoner go!"

"I do not think so, Tracy," came the reply from ahead.

Virgil peeked around the tree, and immediately regretted it. The Hood had taken Brains and had pushed him to his knees. He was holding his weapon to Brains head.

"If I cannot have him, nobody else will. Now come out from behind there, or I will kill him."

Unbidden the memories of yesterday's events came to the surface of Virgil's mind. Yesterday, a petty criminal, a money-craving pirate had held his father hostage. He had taken his gun and had pressed it against his father's temples, much like the Hood now was doing with Brains. In order to save his father, the other Virgil, the one that originally came from this world, had come out of his safe hiding place, and he had paid the price.

He himself had arrived when it had been too late, when the criminal had already pulled the trigger of his gun and almost had killed the other Virgil.

Not this time. This time it was his turn. There was nobody but him to save Brains' life.

He took a deep breath and stepped around the tree. Holding up his hands, he tried to look as unthreatening as he could. Which, considering how scared he was, shouldn't be too hard.

"Come here," the Hood commanded, a sense of glee in his voice. "I should have killed you earlier. But this is an error I will soon rectify."

Slowly, searching his steps carefully, he moved forwards, attempting to keep trees or bushes between himself and the criminal, even though they were giving him no real cover, as they were too small to be of any real use. He was stalling for time. He only hoped that the Hood didn't realize it.

"Move faster, Tracy," the Hood said, changing the spot where his gun was pointing at from Brains' head to Virgil.

One minute, that was all that he needed.

He was about twenty yards from the Hood, and he was running out of any kind of cover. Close to the access road, the forest was somewhat less dense than further inside, and he was now in direct line of sight of the other man.

Suddenly a by now familiar sound came from up above.

Thunderbird 2's engines.

The cavalry had finally arrived.

Brains, who had seemingly knelt meekly at the Hood side, used the momentary distraction of the criminal. He pushed his body aside, into the Hood's legs, causing the master criminal to stumble.

The Hood cursed then swung his gun around, pointing the weapon again at the engineer's head.

A shot rang out, but it wasn't the Hood that had fired. Virgil had used the distraction and discharged his weapon, but he had missed.

Again the Hood changed his tactics.

In rapid session he fired twice, then he turned heel and ran.

Virgil felt something impact with his left shoulder, a hot something that threw him backwards against a tree. The collision pushed all the air out of his lungs and caused stars to burst in his vision, but in light of the pain that exploded in his shoulder, he almost didn't notice.

Slowly, he slid down the tree trunk, until he was sitting with his back against it. Each draw of breath was a shock wave of hurt.

He heard voices calling his name, but they came from a distance, and they seemed to move further away by the minute. Everything was moving away from him, and then they were all gone.

The last thought that he had before the darkness finally took him was that he should have expected this.

TBC


	13. A Case Of Dissymmetry

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 13: A Case Of Dissymmetry

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They had practically pushed Bob and Chris into the waiting arms of the hospital staff and turned Thunderbird 2 around before the two had vanished inside the hospital doors.

Now Scott and Alan were waiting impatiently at the access door to Two, listening to the transmission John relayed from Virgil's and Brains' communicators, while Gordon steered the 'bird at top speed back to the place where they had left the others behind.

When the Hood ordered Virgil to come out of his hiding place, Scott wished that his brother would disobey, but at the same time, he knew that there was no way in hell that Virgil would leave somebody else in danger, when he thought that he could help. He knew that Virgil sometimes had doubts about his own bravery, but in truth this had to do more with sensibility and caution. While growing up, he and his brothers had rushed in some dangerous and sometimes downright reckless situations, and usually it had been Virgil and John who had been the ones to see sense and make them think before doing something really foolish. It was that those two tended to think more than the other brothers - himself included, as their mother had reminded him often enough after one of their more memorable exploits.

But when push came to shove, Virgil had always done what needed to be done, especially when one of the others had been in danger. He might have thought about it more thoroughly than his brothers, but he always had done the right thing.

Scott rubbed his smarting hand, willing Thunderbird 2 to fly faster. They were so close, but at the moment mere seconds counted.

"Come here," the Hood commanded somewhere ahead, with a cold voice that sent shivers down Scott's spine. "I should have killed you earlier. But this is an error I will soon rectify. Move faster, Tracy."

How did that criminal dare to threaten his brother? Alan had told him a little about the Hood, and Scott knew that the man wasn't bluffing, that he wouldn't hesitate for a second to kill Virgil or Brains. But why was he doing it? Why couldn't he just leave them alone?

"I have them on the scanner," Gordon announced from the cockpit.

A shot rang out and then two more. Scott felt as if each of them had impacted with his own body.

"What happened? Gordon, can you see something?" he asked, hoping, no fearing for an answer.

Gordon cursed over the airwaves as Thunderbird 2 banked to the left and seemingly dropped out of the sky. "Virgil has been hit," he announced, his voice dark with dread. "He's down. The Hood is running, though."

A shockwave travelled through Thunderbird 2 as she was set down way too fast, and Scott and Alan both had to hold on tight to the walls in order to remain standing. The door opened and as soon as there was enough space to squeeze through Scott was outside, running as fast as he could towards the scene of the shooting, his gun at the ready.

On a small clearing, not far from the road where Thunderbird 2 had landed, he found Brains kneeling over Virgil's body, calling his name over and over. The engineer's hands were tied behind his back, and he tried to twist around to reach him, but he couldn't.

Scott slithered to Virgil's side, also calling his name. He fell to his knees, reaching out to search for a pulse at Virgil's neck.

"Virgil, wake up."

In seconds he found the steady beat of Virgil's heart underneath his fingertips, and he blew out a breath of relief. Next he inspected Virgil's body with his eyes, searching for the place where his younger brother had been hit.

There was no blood.

It took him a moment to register this fact and also what the implication of this could be.

Virgil groaned and moved his head.

"Ouch."

"Lie still, Virg, we need to check you over," Scott said, placing his hand on Virgil's right shoulder, pressing him down gently.

Alan had cut Brains' bonds, and now the engineer pushed Scott firmly aside.

"Let me have a look," he said, for once without his usual stutter, and started his examination.

Scott looked up, surprised. Alan and Gordon, who also had joined the group, looked worried, but when they noticed Scott's questioning look, Alan showed a wry grin and said: "Brains also has a medical degree. You can trust him."

Virgil, who still looked dazed, allowed Brains' ministrations without any resistance. He looked down on his body and furrowed his brows, which, by the flash of pain that followed that move, had not been a particular good idea.

"Where have I been hit?" he asked weakly, followed by an indignant 'Ouch' when Brains touched a spot at the back of Virgil's head.

"I don't think, y-y-you have been hit," replied Brains, looking slightly puzzled. "There is n-n-no wound."

"But," Virgil looked up confused, "I've felt the impact."

He reached up with his right hand and touched his left shoulder at the height of the International Rescue symbol on his sash. His face contorted painfully at the contact, but soon his expression changed to one of surprise. Fingering the badge, he pulled off a small object that had imbedded itself in the letter 'R' of IR.

He showed it to the others. It was a bullet.

"What are those things made of?" he asked, indicating the badge.

Relief flooded Scott and he laughed out loud, soon to be joined by his brothers and Brains.

TBC

Anybody disappointed, the Virgil didn't get a matching wound to the one from the other Virgil?

Two more chapters to go ...


	14. Last Minute Doubts

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 14: Last Minute Doubts

-------------------------------------------

The Hood had escaped. After everybody had been assured that Virgil would be fine, they had started to search for him, but by then the master criminal was gone, having seemingly disappeared into thin air.

They were all far too relieved by the outcome of the rescue and the kidnapping to be pulled down by this, and so they packed everything up, ready to head back home.

When Alan offered Scott to ride with Thunderbird 1 on his way back, it took only a very short exchange of looks with Virgil for him to agree.

Virgil had a pounding headache, the result from the impact of his head with the tree, and his left shoulder was badly bruised, but else there had been no negative after effects from his encounter with the Hood. Brains had announced that if Virgil had a concussion, it was only a light one, and except for the headache, there should be no further ill effects. Still, he was more than glad to ride back to the island with Thunderbird 2, and if Scott was not there - all to the better. His older brother tended to be a bit overbearing whenever one of the brothers had been injured. With five active brothers it was bound to happen once in a while, and every time Scott had been there, he had been extremely overprotective for a couple of days after the event. But the lure of the super fast rocket plane and the knowledge that Virgil would be all right was enough for him to leave his brother in the tender care of Brains and Gordon.

Who knew, Virgil thought, maybe he'd manage to talk Alan into having a go on the steering yoke. He'd love that.

Take off was a smooth affair and soon they all were heading back towards base. On the way home, John called and let them know that the doctors at the clinic had been able to stabilize Bob, and that he had a good chance to survive the accident. Somehow that made the whole adventure worthwhile.

Thunderbird 1 was already back in her place by the time the larger plane reached the island, but Virgil didn't see any sign of Scott as Thunderbird 2 began to roll into her hanger.

Virgil's headache had reached monumental proportions and even the pills Brains had offered had done little to dull the pain. His left shoulder was smarting pretty badly, too. He could barely stay awake, and only when he heard Brains' concerned voice calling his name repeatedly, did he realized that Thunderbird 2 had come to a stop and that they had to leave.

"I think, y-y-you should go to bed," Brains suggested and Virgil was only too glad to follow his recommendation.

He didn't quite remember how he had reached his room and certainly didn't recall how he had gotten out of his uniform, but some hours later he woke up in his bed, dressed only in his boxers, feeling a world better.

For a moment he enjoyed the absence of pain, but when he tried to turn around and get up, the bruise on his shoulder announced itself very loudly, and with a groan he sank back into the soft pillows.

"Virgil?"

Scott's face appeared in his field of view, looking concerned.

Virgil attempted a smile, but he suspected that it came out more as a grimace.

"I'm all right, Scott. Just moved badly," he reassured his big brother.

Scott studied him for a moment, then he accepted Virgil's testimony. He pulled back, moving to the room's large window.

"You slept for eight hours straight," he said, looking outside.

"And you have been here all the time," Virgil stated with a slightly accusatory tone. He knew it to be true.

Scott grinned weakly. He knew - or at least he should know by now - that his brothers didn't particularly appreciate his over protectiveness. But - and Virgil knew that this was also true - Scott probably couldn't help it, being the older brother and all. At home their mom usually took care that Scott didn't over-do it, by taking her share of the mother henning, but while it was easy to take something like this from a mother, it was harder to accept it from a brother.

"I've been thinking," Scott stated.

"Yeah, right," Virgil muttered, sitting up carefully in order not to put any pressure on his injured shoulder. The bruise had reached the size of a hand and showed a spectacular colouring of red, blue and purple. When he prodded it gently he had to wince at the touch.

When Scott didn't elaborate, Virgil got up and moved to his en-suite bathroom.

"What have you been thinking about, Scott?" he called through the half open door as he relieved himself.

"This and that. Us. Them. Nothing in particular, really," came the reply from his room.

"Don't tell me that you've changed your mind and you don't want us to start something like International Rescue back at home after all," he said, only half in jest.

Silence greeted that statement.

Virgil didn't exactly know when he had decided that Scott had been right and that back home they should try to pull something similar together. Maybe it was when he had heard that the two guys had been safe, that the injured one would survive. Or maybe it had been when he had been fighting the Hood, and had realized that sometimes risking one's own life to save another one was the way it had to be. He only knew that from now on he would support Scott when he would broach the issue to Dad and the others.

When after a minute there was still no reply, Virgil stuck his head back through the bathroom door, looking at his brother.

Scott was still standing at the window, looking outside, seemingly lost in thoughts.

"Scott," Virgil called. "You're not serious."

"Well," Scott said, turning so he could look at his brother. "It's maybe too dangerous. It was a risky thing pulling those men out of the turbine and then this Hood guy… I don't know, I just didn't figure on enemies."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "But you saved those two men, and they would have died for sure without you. And the Hood - the guys here have encountered him before and every single time they've been able to beat him. If there should be somebody like him back home, I'm sure we can beat him too."

"But you've been injured," Scott said, somewhat accusatory.

"It's only a bruise, nothing life threatening."

"But it could have been so much worse," Scott replied angrily.

Aha, that was it. He had been hurt, and for some strange reason Scott blamed himself for it. Virgil sighed then came out of the bathroom.

"What do you think the Scott from this world feels? Every time they go out on a rescue, he and his brothers risk their life. But still they go. Why? Because it's worth it. So many people are alive because of them, people who would have died without them. It's the right thing to do."

He placed a hand on Scott's arm and tried to look into his eyes.

"I don't know how he does it," Scott said quietly, his eyes cast down. "I don't know if I could do it."

Virgil smiled. "It's easy, Scott. He does it by being there with them, being there for them. And that's the same way you will do it. I trust you to be there for me, for the others."

Scott drew a slow, shuddering breath. He looked up at Virgil, a small smile forming on his face. "When did you get so wise, dear brother of mine?"

Virgil snorted. "Me, wise? It's only the truth and if you think about it, you'd know it too. Besides, don't you just think that this outfit here is way cool? Flying Thunderbird 1 must be quite a rush."

Now the smile on Scott's face widened. "Yeah, it is."

"Don't tell me, you really managed to talk Alan into letting you have a go on One?" he said halfway astounded, half elated.

Scott's grin was all the answer he needed.

"Way to go, big brother. Way to go."

TBC

The final chapter will arrive tomorrow. And, yes, I still do like reviews.


	15. Heading Home

Walk on the Wild Side

By Sapphire

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Chapter 15: Heading Home

-------------------------------------

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" Scott stood in the entranceway to his father's office, waiting for permission to step inside.

It was two days after the rescue at the wind farm. Virgil was recovering, only the slowly fading bruise and a light stiffness a reminder of the events in California. They had spent the two days learning as much as they could about the organization and what went with it. How they had converted the natural caves of the island into the hangers for the Thunderbirds. How they had managed to build those incredible machines without the rest of the world knowing about it. How they had set up a wide spread network of agents all over the world. How they trained for their missions.

They were both allowed a couple of sessions in the simulator for Thunderbirds 1 and 2. Scott had to grin when Virgil told him enthusiastically about the simulated rescue and how Two had handled in it. One thing was sure, his little brother had caught the bug, and Scott wasn't so sure if he should be glad about it or not.

The time when Virgil had been in danger and there had been nothing he could do about had been among the worst moments of his life. When he had thought that Virgil had been shot, he had felt sick and desperate. He couldn't help it, he had to worry. He guessed it was in the job description of being an older brother. If there was one thing that would stop him from trying to duplicate International Rescue at home, it was the fear that any of the others could be injured or killed on a mission.

He didn't know if the Scott from this world felt the same, but somehow he thought that it was the case. Alan and Gordon had hinted that way.

Still, that didn't stop the other Scott from doing his job.

When talking to the others, he hadn't been just interested in the whole technological side of IR. Scott had wanted to know how it came that John didn't seem to mind spending weeks without end on Thunderbirds 5. How the others felt about living isolated on an island, cut off from their friends, always needing to be careful that they wouldn't betray the big secret. What they thought about being seen as spoilt playboys who supposedly considered themselves to be above the other mere mortals. How they kept their web of secrets and lies. And also, how they coped with failures - for Scott learned that there had been a couple of missions where they hadn't been able to save the lives they had come for, where they had come too late. He could see that those had left invisible scars, but also that those cases had solidified their determination to do it better the next time, train harder, find other ways how they could prevent it from ever happening again.

On one hand, Scott had halfway hoped that there would be another rescue mission, but nothing had happened and in a way he was glad about it. The more he had learned about International Rescue, the more he realized that for all he knew about flying, there was much more to the rescue business than controlling a couple of fancy machines. They would have a lot to learn.

Over the last two days, they had made contact with the world they had come from. Brains had rigged something that allowed radio waves to travel through the gate that connected the two worlds. From there, they had learned that the other Virgil had been released from the hospital and that he and the other Scott were more than ready to go back home into their own world.

Brains had conducted some measurements on the gate and had announced that it was beginning to destabilize. Save travel would be possible for only a few more days, but then it would begin to slowly disintegrate and in a few weeks it would disappear on its own.

As nobody had any intention to wait for so long, it had been decided that Scott and Virgil would head back home this afternoon, an hour from now. The other Scott and Virgil would then come back an hour later, just so Brains could make sure that the gate had had time to stabilize again for their travel.

"Come in, Scott," his father waved him inside. "Sit down."

He offered Scott a glass of whiskey and a chair. Scott sat down and waited for his father to finish whatever he was doing on the computer.

With a swift keystroke, Jeff Tracy shut the computer off and pulled a data crystal from its slot.

"Here," he held it out to Scott.

Slightly puzzled, Scott got up and took the crystal. "Sir? What is this?"

"This," Jeff said with a warm smile, "are the plans for all the Thunderbirds and machines we are using in International Rescue. Also a list of which companies are the best suppliers and what people could help you."

For a moment Scott was stunned. Though he had made no secret of his hopes to start a copy of IR back in his world, he never had a chance to talk about it to Jeff directly. Scott hadn't been too sure how his father would react to it.

Well, this answered that question at least.

"Sir, this is…" he stammered, his face split in a wide smile. "Thank you. This will help us tremendously."

"Just make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, son. Those machines can be used for more than saving lives and, as you have already learned, there are people out there - here in my world, and I'm sure also back in yours - who will stop at nothing to gain access to this data."

Scott shook his head. "No, sir. We will make sure of that."

"Good," Jeff nodded. "You know, in a way I do envy you. You will be able to prevent many of our early mistakes. And also, you won't need to pay the price we had to pay here. I'm glad to know there's a world were Joyce didn't die and you boys didn't need to grow up without a mother."

Scott almost blushed. He knew that his father wasn't normally one for opening up so much.

"Thank you, sir," he said again. "I know that without your example we would never attempt it. This here, the days we've spent here, they've been amazing. We'll never forget them."

Jeff inclined his head in acknowledgement of the compliment and lifted the glass of whiskey on his desk. "To your world and mine."

Scott repeated the toast and took a good swig of his glass.

For a few minutes they sat, contemplating the past and the future, then Jeff got up.

"It's time to find your brother and for you two to get back to were you belong."

And time that you get your Scott and your Virgil back, so International Rescue is back to full strength, added Scott in his mind. Not that he didn't want to go home. There was so much to do and with that crystal that now rested in his pocket they would have a very good shot at making it true.

----

He found Virgil in Brains' lab, the two engineers so deep in conversation that they didn't even look up when the door opened and Scott stepped inside.

So Scott took a moment to watch the two. He already had decided that the very first thing they would have to do when they were back home, was to find the Brains from his own world and bring him on board. He only could hope that they would be able to do so. He was looking forward to meet that other Brains and wondered how he would differ from this Brains. Another person they had to find for was Lady Penelope, whom he had spoken to shortly on the vid phone the other day, and whom he also had taken an instant liking to.

"Virg," he called out.

Two heads shot up and Virgil looked a little sheepish that he hadn't noticed Scott coming in.

"It's time," Scott reminded them.

Virgil's face fell, and Scott had to suppress the grin on how easily he could read his brother again. The younger Tracy had shaken off all the gloom from back when they had arrived in this world and Scott was glad for it. Virgil had formed a close bond with Brains, and Scott could only hope that they would click as well when they met their Brains.

Virgil sighed, then he got up.

Well, Scott had something to cheer him up. He pulled the crystal out of his pocket and showed it to his brother.

"What's this?" Virgil asked, intrigued.

"A data crystal," Scott teased with a grin.

Virgil rolled his eyes. "I can see that it's a data crystal, dummy. What's on it?"

"If you feel the need to insult me, then maybe I shouldn't tell you," Scott kept on teasing.

Virgil groaned. "Tell me, all right."

"The plans for all the Thunderbirds and all the nifty machines we have to leave behind here."

Virgil's mouth fell open. "You're kidding," he exclaimed.

"Nope, father just gave them to me."

"Wow! This is fantastic. This will help us immensely."

"Yep."

"Okay, come on then, we have to get to the gate," Virgil said, pulling his brother out of the room. Scott knew that Virgil was burning to get the crystal into a reader and begin to study the plans, so he didn't mind.

At the appointed time, they all found themselves again at the entrance to the cave where the whole story had started only a few days ago. Scott could only marvel on how his view of the world had changed in such a short time. It was as if his whole life he had been searching for something worthwhile to do, and finally, in a world that wasn't even his own, he had found it.

Making International Rescue real was a dream he hadn't even known he had been dreaming. The only regret he had was that they had already had wasted so much time. But there was nothing he could do about it, so he didn't dwell on it too deeply.

The rest of the family had come to the cave as well and now a lot of backslapping ensued between the brothers in ways of good byes.

Finally, only Jeff was left standing next to the entrance, an indulging smile on his face.

Scott stepped up to him, taking Jeff's hand in a firm grip.

"Sir, I'd just like to thank you again for everything you've done for us," Scott said.

Jeff returned the handshake. "I know you will make us proud, Scott. Just you look out for your brothers. And for your mother,"

"I will, sir," Scott promised.

"Then I think it's time you two get back home. Brains, is everything ready?"

The engineer nodded, and Scott and Virgil entered the cave.

They were ready to go home.

The end

AN: So, that's it. The story is done. Not much mayham and barely a scratch on anybody. Currently, I don't plan on writting anything else in this universe, however, I do have two other stories in the work (one John centric, one more focused on Scott), so maybe there will be something else soon(ish)

If you liked this story - or if you didn't - please let me know.


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